Offseason events are crucial for the WNBA to run smoothly. Things like the WNBA Draft Lottery, expansion draft and college draft help teams shape rosters.
But those things could be delayed this year because of ongoing negotiations between the WNBA and the players’ union for a new collective bargaining agreement. The CBA expires Friday, and negotiations have been tense between the two sides.
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No official WNBA business can happen without a CBA. The two sides can agree to an extension of a few months to allow events like the draft lottery and expansion draft to continue, but they will need to ratify a new CBA before free agency.
But if either side doesn’t agree to an extension, everything will stop until they ratify a new agreement. And that could push the offseason into chaos for all teams, including the Indiana Fever.
Here are the major events that could be affected by a work stoppage in the WNBA:
Mid-November: WNBA Draft Lottery
The WNBA Draft Lottery, which solidifies the draft order for the top five picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft between the teams that missed the 2024 playoffs, typically happens in mid-November.
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The lottery for the 2025 draft, which the Dallas Wings won, happened Nov. 17, 2024. The 2024 draft lottery, which the Fever won, happened Dec. 10, 2023, and the 2023 draft lottery, which the Fever also won, happened Nov. 11, 2022.
There’s no set date for the 2026 draft lottery, but the league would likely want to schedule it earlier than later, especially considering the expansion draft slated for later this calendar year.
A delay of the draft lottery wouldn’t directly affect the Fever: the five teams in the lottery are Dallas, Minnesota (via Chicago), Seattle (via Los Angeles), Washington, and Chicago (via Connecticut).
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December: 2026 WNBA schedule release
The league typically announces schedules in December — last year, the league announced the 2025 WNBA schedule on Dec. 2, 2024.
In the case of a lockout between the players’ union and the WNBA, the league likely would not release the 2026 schedule until the two sides come to an agreement on a new CBA. This would delay planning both for fans’ potential travel to games and teams’ travel.
Mid-December: WNBA expansion draft for Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo
The expansion draft typically happens in early to mid-December — the Golden State Valkyries chose the players that made up most of their team Dec. 6. Missing or delaying the expansion draft because of a lockout could really start the chaos for all teams across the league.
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The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, who are slated to join the league in 2026, will rely on the expansion draft to create a baseline for their rosters ahead of free agency. The existing teams will also need the expansion draft to happen ahead of free agency to know which players they are losing and what holes they will need to fill on their rosters.
The expansion draft could still happen in the case of an extension of the CBA, as it doesn’t include signing players to new contracts.
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January-February: WNBA trades, qualifying offers and free agency
Typically, early January is when teams start sending out qualifying offers to reserved, restricted and core players. Mid-January is when teams can start negotiations with free agents, and February 1 is typically when contracts can be finalized and announced.
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The players’ union and league would need to agree to a new collective bargaining agreement by January in order for free agency to go on as scheduled. An extension of the CBA would not apply here, as players will not sign contracts under the current pay scale in this collective bargaining agreement.
The new collective bargaining agreement could also change the qualifications for core players. Fever guard and MVP finalist Kelsey Mitchell is eligible to be cored again, as all players can be cored for up to two years. That could change in the new CBA — the 2020 agreement changed the core service years from three to two.
The salaries for cored players, restricted free agents and reserved players will also likely change in the new CBA.
While the earlier events, like the WNBA Draft Lottery and expansion draft, could go on with an extension of the CBA, free agency for the 2026 season will require a new, ratified agreement.
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Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube page for Fever Insiders Live.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How CBA negotiations could affect WNBA free agency, WNBA schedule, draft
