As expected, the WNBA collective bargaining agreement expired without a further extension in the early hours of Saturday. After two previous expansions After the original Oct. 31 deadline, the deal officially expired, but there is no sign of an imminent work stoppage from the WNBA or WNBPA, the players’ association. Instead, we are now entering a period of status quo, during which the parties can continue to negotiate under the same rules as the previous contract. Yet they are also now (by definition letting the deal expire) more willing to consider a strike or lockout in the coming weeks.
We could see different scenarios play out over the next few weeks. Everything from the strike to the signing of an agreement, including the same resistance from the sides. No matter what happens and when, we are now approach a territory where, no matter what happens, the upcoming 2026 WNBA season will be impacted.
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A work stoppage has already been authorized
In December, the WNBPA held a vote for authorize a possible strike. This vote was intended solely to give the WNBPA Executive Committee permission to begin the strike process if it gets to that point. At the time, they were very clear that a strike was a tool of last resort and that voting at that time was just an administrative check-off to make the process smoother in the future.
The players ended up voting 98% in favor of authorizing a strike, with 93% of union members participating.
As for the idea of a work stoppage, it seems like the players are more likely to take that step right now than the league. Remember that a work stoppage can be initiated on both sides here: the WNBA can stage a lockout and players can start striking. The idea of a WNBA lockout doesn’t seem to have much traction, since many WNBA players currently play in other leagues around the world. A lockout is meant to deprive players of the resources the WNBA gives them, but those players have those resources in many other places. It’s not like the NBA, where players sign a contract stating that they are not allowed to play in other leagues during the NBA offseason.
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On the other hand, the WNBPA strike would take away the WNBA’s most valuable resource: the players. It’s not like the other side of the coin, where players can find other places to practice. The WNBA can’t just replace players and continue as usual. This is another reason why the players have so much weight in this current negotiation. Of course, players want to play in the WNBA, but that’s not their only choice.
While it’s more likely that players will strike than that the WNBA will lockout, it’s still not imminent. That could change quickly now, with the contract expiring and crunch time coming.
The WNBA offseason is already affected
If this were a normal offseason without contract negotiations, the WNBA would be fully engaged in deals by now. They probably would have held an expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire in early December, much like they did for the Golden State Valkyries in 2024. Then, around January, the trade market would have opened up, and we would also now be heading into free agency.
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Now, with a new contract not yet signed, the offseason is somewhat at a standstill. You can’t sign new contracts, build rosters and offer salaries to players when there isn’t a contract determining the salary cap, veteran minimums and rules surrounding things like base designation. This is why nothing has happened so far this WNBA offseason.
Still, with the lack of time evident, questions arise about how to proceed with free agency. According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the league has proposed a moratorium for players. Currently, since everything is status quo after the contract expires, teams can technically send out qualifying offers and make baseline designations starting Sunday. Still, those would have to be adjusted based on what a new contract would say about the idea of restricted free agency and base designation — two things players have expressed wanting to eradicate in their next contract. It’s also likely that players won’t even consider these contracts while negotiations are underway, especially if a strike is still on the table as a last resort.
The risk that these ongoing negotiations will affect the 2026 season is real. The WNBA season is currently scheduled to begin in early May, and it will already be condensed to allow players time to report to their international federations for the FIBA Women’s World Cup this fall. If the new contracts dictate that there will be more games in the WNBA season, they will either have to fit them in somewhere or decide that the expanded season will begin in 2027. The WNBA is somewhat hindered from moving the season forward as well, with the NCAA college season already ending in April and the draft not taking place until 9 days after the March Madness finale. With the needs of training camp, the draft and having a preseason, we don’t have time to start the season early.
What happens when a contract IS signed?
The best case scenario for everyone will be signing a new contract. Earlier this week we talked about players with leverage and hold fast to what they want. The hope is that one day they will come to a contract that will give them these things.
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So what happens after that? The first thing on the agenda will have to be an expansion project. The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire are already at a huge disadvantage right now, given that their first official offseason will be condensed. They need to get a chance to start building their roster, not to mention the expansion draft will affect how the rest of free agency works.
If things like restricted free agency and primary designations still exist in the new WNBA contract, that would come next. Sending qualifying offers and predetermining the negotiating rights held by the team will then lead to unrestricted free agency. From there, we’ll move on to the WNBA Draft, coinciding with the end of the college season. In between all of this, many players will also be participating in the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments in Turkey and China in March, the end of the Unrivaled season and the Athletes Unlimited season.
If a new collective agreement were signed today, we would have a little over two months to complete all of this. However, given the situation, it could take six weeks or even less. It takes a lot of thought and potentially less time than ever to do it.
