After almost eighteen months of back-and-forth, the WNBA is finally trying to fast-track the CBA deal. With the 2026 WNBA season set to drop on May 8, the absence of a CBA deal is pretty much concerning. And over the course of the last six months, a lot of water has flown under the bridge.
With the WNBPA demanding a 30% revenue-sharing deal, the deadline has been pushed back three times so far. Thankfully, in a recent update, Cathy Engelbert and Co. have finally announced a deadline by which they need to wrap up the CBA negotiations.
What Is The Latest WNBA Deadline To The Completion Of the CBA Deal?
Without a CBA deal, almost 80% of the players’ futures would be in jeopardy. Apart from this, there would be several complications if the contract is not completed on time.
Thus, in a recent report, ESPN and the New York Post updated that the league has given a March 10 ultimatum to wrap up the negotiations. According to the reports, WNBA conveyed the same to the WNBPA via a call on Monday. Almost 50 players were present in the call virtually.
“WNBA told WNBPA that a term sheet for new CBA must be completed by March 10 for 2026 schedule not to be impacted, per@alexaphilippou,” read an update on X.
WNBA told WNBPA that a term sheet for new CBA must be completed by March 10 for 2026 schedule not to be impacted, per @alexaphilippou.
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) February 23, 2026
Scroll to continue reading
Trending WNBA News
Now, despite the approaching deadline, the league has not set it as an ultimatum to finalize the deal. However, it does represent an estimated target by which the two parties can come to an agreement and help the new season get underway smoothly.
Unfortunately, that is very unlikely to happen. As the union has asked for a 27.5% share, the latest counterproposal from the league showed that they were adamant about giving not more than a 15% share.
Meanwhile, with the deal still looking like quite a distant shot, the message to fight and stand their ground has been echoing through the league.
Dawn Staley Is Not A Fan Of Players Leaving The Fight Against The WNBA
With the absence of a contract, the free agency and the WNBA draft will be in jeopardy. The will, in turn, significantly affect the two-team expansion draft. At the moment, both Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire do not have a set roster. Thus, the league must finalize the CBA contract as soon as possible.
Surprisingly, despite all these factors, the players still want the league to resolve their demands. And for that, Dawn Staley thinks that backing down from the fight is not an option.
“Anybody that is willing to bet on self in this space, it’s always a good thing. And bet on self is both ways. The WNBA is betting on self, and the players are betting on self. The game is in high demand, like super high demand,” she said. “If you don’t fight for something right now, you’re going to settle for anything in the future,” Staley said.
Dawn Staley on the WNBA CBA talks:
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) February 20, 2026
"I've been a player & the game is in high demand. If you don't fight for something right now, you're gonna settle for anything in the future. I think we'll have a season & I believe it's gonna start on time. But I don't have a dog in the fight" pic.twitter.com/YRbu3FcOvp
Thus, with things still looking problematic, fans will be eager to learn what the WNBA’s future holds.