After 17 months’ wait, the players received what they were aiming for, a respectable revenue share and also a huge pay raise, even for the rookies. The historic WNBA CBA Deal is worth over 1 billion dollars, with a revenue-sharing breakthrough.
While players are happy with the movement and deal, there is a striking difference in rookie pay. Ironically, the Dallas Wings had both top picks around the CBA deal, and they will experience the 600% difference in their rookie pay.
Dallas Wings’ Top Pick To Earn Six Times More Than Paige Bueckers
Paige Bueckers was the unanimous choice for the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. While there is ambiguity over the 2026 first overall pick, the new CBA clears the commercial part of the deals. Whether it’s Awa Fam, Azzi Fudd or someone else, the Wings will have to fork out 600% more for the rookie.
“The WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft will earn a base salary of $500,000 in year one and more than $2.2 million over their entire 4-year rookie scale contract,” reported Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports on X, formerly Twitter.
More details on the new CBA, including the rookie minimum which starts at $270,000. The minimum for players with 10+ YOS will be $300,000 in 2026.
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) March 19, 2026
Housing, I've learned, will be provided for all players for the first three years.
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Paige Bueckers made just $78,831 in her rookie season. That’s more than a 600% increase for whoever the first overall pick ends up being, which is a huge win for the players. The South Carolina coach, Dawn Staley, also highlighted a similar situation in her recent pep talk.
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While the rookies will earn higher figures than players like PB, Caitlin Clark will also see a massive surge in their pay.
Paige Bueckers Eligible For Supermax Contract
The new CBA Deal will also increase the salaries of the current rookies, taking their earlier contracted numbers to new highs. As per the breakdown, the 2025 first overall pick, PB, will earn $499,200, which is slightly less than the current rookie year salary. The 2024 first overall pick, Caitlin Clark, will earn $527,155, playing in her third year.
Interestingly, though, both players will be eligible for the supermax contracts in their final seasons of the rookie contract, as they were part of All-WNBA teams during their contract period. This allows them to earn over $1.5 millions.