WNBA Stars Get Faster Max Deals
The WNBA's new CBA proposal would allow young stars like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers to earn maximum salaries much faster than under current rules. The proposal represents a significant milestone for women's professional basketball and athlete compensation. This change could dramatically reshape how top talent is paid in the league's early career years.
Under the current collective bargaining agreement, top draft picks like Caitlin Clark are on four-year rookie-scale contracts worth a total of around $338,000. Her 2024 salary was $76,535, a figure that sparked public debate over fair compensation for the league's brightest new stars. The new proposal would allow a player on a rookie contract to become eligible for a max contract in their fourth year if they are named to the All-WNBA first or second team. This would make stars like Clark and 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers eligible for a max deal in 2027 and 2028, respectively. The proposed maximum salary would see a dramatic increase from around $249,000 in 2025 to $1.3 million in the first year of the new agreement. The average WNBA salary would also jump significantly, from about $120,000 to $540,000. This potential for accelerated earnings comes amid ongoing, and sometimes tense, negotiations between the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). A key sticking point remains the revenue-sharing model, with the league offering a percentage of net revenue while the players' union is pushing for a share of gross revenue. The WNBPA, which opted out of the previous CBA, has been vocal about the need for a deal that reflects the league's recent growth and its new $2.2 billion media rights deal. Key player representatives, including WNBPA First Vice President Kelsey Plum, have emphasized that while the latest offer is a "significant win," negotiations are ongoing to secure the best possible terms for the players. The league has set a deadline of March 10 to reach an agreement to avoid disruptions to the upcoming season, which has already seen the expansion draft for new teams in Toronto and Portland delayed. This timeline adds pressure to resolve remaining issues like housing subsidies and the specifics of the revenue-sharing formula.
