WNBA, Players Agree on New CBA With $7M Salary Cap

Is the new WNBA CBA a landmark win for women's sports or a fast track to bankrupting the league?

Published MAR 19

WNBA, Players Agree on New CBA With $7M Salary Cap

story

Above: WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on Oct. 3, 2025. Image credit: Ian Maule/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

This deal is a landmark win for women's sports — a $7 million salary cap, a $1.4 million supermax and an average salary of $600,000 prove players finally got what they earned. The league is worth billions, expansion fees alone hit $925 million and broadcasting deals top $2.2 billion, so the raises are fully justified. This deal doesn't just change paychecks — it redefines what it means to be a professional in women's sports.

BostonGlobe.com CBS Sports

Narrative B

A league already bleeding money just agreed to multiply its payroll by four or five times — that's not progress, that's a fast track to bankruptcy. The NBA subsidy keeping the WNBA afloat won't stretch far enough to cover these ballooning costs, and Caitlin Clark's novelty won't last forever. Increasing spending this dramatically on a product that still struggles to sustain itself is a surefire way to fold the league entirely.

Matt Couture on X

Will Grocke on X

The Craig Carton Show on X