In a significant boost for the Women's National Basketball Association, the league and its players' union have reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement that promises to dramatically accelerate salary growth for top young talents. Sources familiar with the negotiations told ESPN that the pending deal, finalized in principle early Wednesday, introduces a groundbreaking provision known as "EPIC," which allows players on rookie-scale contracts to renegotiate their salaries much sooner than before, potentially landing maximum or even supermax contracts based on early accolades.
The EPIC provision, short for something not yet publicly detailed but aimed at rewarding exceptional performance, enables rookies to adjust their fourth-year salary to the standard maximum if they have previously earned All-WNBA first- or second-team honors. For those who have won the league's Most Valuable Player award, the path opens to the supermax level. This change marks a departure from the previous CBA, under which players could only qualify for supermax salaries after completing their full four-year rookie contracts, a process that often delayed financial rewards for rising stars.
One of the most prominent beneficiaries could be Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever guard who was named the 2024 Rookie of the Year. According to sources, Clark, who earned just $78,066 in the 2025 season, is set to see her salary surge to $530,000 in 2026. If she secures All-WNBA recognition in the coming years, she could command the projected maximum of $1.3 million in 2027, and potentially sign a $1.7 million supermax deal in 2028. Clark's rapid ascent has already drawn massive attention to the WNBA, with her games boosting viewership and ticket sales across the league.
The new rules would also apply to other young phenoms, such as Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever, who earned All-WNBA honors in 2024 and becomes eligible for a max contract in 2026. Similarly, Paige Bueckers, projected to enter the league soon and already tabbed as a future star after her All-WNBA selection in 2025, could reach max eligibility by 2028. These provisions are designed to retain talent and incentivize performance from the outset, addressing long-standing concerns about the WNBA's relatively modest pay scales compared to the NBA.
Beyond the EPIC fast-track, the new CBA introduces sweeping financial improvements. Sources confirmed to ESPN that the salary cap will jump to $7 million starting in the first year of the deal, a quadrupling from the $1.5 million cap in 2025. The supermax salary will begin at $1.4 million, up from $249,244 the previous year, while the average player salary is expected to rise to about $583,000 from $120,000. Minimum salaries will feature five tiers based on years of service, ranging from $270,000 to $300,000, a substantial increase from the 2025 minimum of $66,079.
These figures, first reported by Front Office Sports and corroborated by ESPN's sources, reflect the league's surging popularity, fueled by stars like Clark, A'ja Wilson, and Breanna Stewart, as well as increased media deals and sponsorships. The WNBA, which launched in 1997 as a counterpart to the NBA, has seen its profile explode in recent years, with attendance and television ratings reaching new highs. The previous CBA, ratified in 2020, had already laid groundwork for growth, but players pushed for more aggressive revenue sharing and protections in these talks.
Another key change targets the league's core designation, the WNBA's version of the NFL's franchise tag, which allows teams to retain players at above-market rates. Starting in 2027, only players with six or fewer years of service will be eligible to be cored, a compromise after the players' union sought to eliminate the mechanism entirely. "The core was something the players sought to eliminate during these negotiations," sources told ESPN, highlighting the tension it created in restricting free agency.
Housing stipends, a perennial issue since the league's inception, also saw resolution after becoming a flashpoint. Under the new deal, all players will receive housing assistance for the first three years. Thereafter, it will be available only to those earning $500,000 or less in 2029 and 2030. After 2030, housing will be limited to developmental players. Teams have provided housing since the WNBA's first CBA in 1999, but the league's initial proposals omitted it, prompting strong pushback from the union.
The negotiations, which began in earnest last year as the old CBA approached its 2025 expiration, involved the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) and league executives. While the agreement is verbal for now, formal ratification is expected soon, pending approval from players and the league's board. This deal comes at a pivotal time for the WNBA, which is expanding to include new franchises in Toronto and Portland by 2026, further straining resources but also opening revenue streams.
Players like Clark and Boston, both with the Fever, exemplify the talent pool that the new CBA aims to nurture. Clark's debut season in 2024 shattered records, with her leading the league in assists and drawing crowds that filled arenas to capacity. Boston, a 2023 No. 1 overall pick, has been a defensive anchor, earning her All-WNBA nod alongside consistent double-doubles. Bueckers, still in college as of 2025 but already a two-time national champion at UConn, is anticipated to follow suit, potentially joining the league in the 2025 draft class.
The financial leaps underscore the WNBA's evolution from a niche summer league to a global powerhouse. In 2024, the league's commission revenue topped $200 million for the first time, driven by a landmark media rights deal with ESPN, Amazon, and CBS worth $2.2 billion over 11 years. Yet, players have long advocated for a larger share, arguing that their on-court excellence deserves commensurate pay. The new CBA's structure, with its tiered minima and performance incentives, aims to bridge that gap.
Critics of the prior system pointed to stark disparities: while NBA rookies earn millions, WNBA first-year players scraped by on six figures or less. The EPIC provision directly tackles this by rewarding merit early, potentially keeping stars like Clark from considering overseas play, where top European leagues offer lucrative contracts. Sources indicated that the union's leverage came from the league's booming business metrics, including a 170% increase in merchandise sales in 2024.
As the WNBA heads into its 2026 season under the new framework, expectations are high for sustained growth. Officials with the league have not yet commented publicly on the details, but the verbal accord suggests smooth sailing toward implementation. For players, the deal represents a hard-fought victory, ensuring that the next generation can build wealth without waiting years for recognition.
Looking ahead, the CBA's success will be measured not just in dollars but in talent retention and league expansion. With housing secured for emerging players and cores limited to veterans, free agency could become more fluid, fostering competitive balance. As one source put it to ESPN, this agreement "expedites the ability to land max deals," positioning the WNBA for a new era of prosperity.
In Appleton, where local fans have followed the Fever's stars closely through broadcasts and occasional exhibition games, the news resonates as a win for women's sports. The broader implications extend to inspiring young athletes nationwide, showing that excellence in the WNBA now translates swiftly to financial security.