The collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the players’ union expired Friday night, and the lack of a third extension put the two sides in a time of status quo in terms of league business.
Those terms of status quo mean that teams, under U.S. labor laws, have to act under the specifications of the collective bargaining agreement. That includes sending out qualifying offers, league sources confirmed to IndyStar.
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Front Office Sports reported that the league started calling teams late last week to tell them they should send out qualifying offers as specified in the league offseason timeline.
The period to send out qualifying offers, including core offers, restricted qualifying offers and reserved qualifying offers, is Jan. 11-20. Those qualifying offers would be under the terms of the expired CBA, sources said.
WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart told ESPN the union was aware qualifying offers may go out to some players, but they have advised players not to sign anything. If a player signs a qualifying offer before a new collective bargaining agreement is signed, they are locked into the salary terms of the old CBA.
ESPN also reported that the two sides are discussing the potential of a moratorium. It would not be a strike or lockout, but a moratorium could stop official league business from happening for a set amount of time or until a new CBA is agreed upon.
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Neither of the two sides have announced a moratorium.
So, league business can go on as scheduled. That includes qualifying offers through Jan. 20, negotiating with free agents starting Jan. 21, and signing free agents Feb. 1.
How status quo effects Indiana Fever, free agents Lexie Hull, Kelsey Mitchell
The Indiana Fever are legally obligated to send out qualifying offers by Jan. 20.
Under the terms of the expired CBA, MVP finalist Kelsey Mitchell is eligible to receive another core qualifying offer, which would give the Fever exclusive negotiating rights in exchange for a supermax salary of around $250,000.
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Mitchell, who has been in a Fever uniform for her entire eight-year WNBA career, has been non-committal about her future in Indianapolis.
“Eight years is gonna be a lot to talk about, because I have so much love and so much aspiration for this place,” Mitchell said during Fever exit interviews in October. “And I think when the time is right, the conversations will be had. Indy is like my second family, and everything I’ve been through the last eight years. I don’t think there’s any other place that was greater for me, the growth and all that. So I think the right conversations will be had, and when it’s time, I guess we’ll all know.”
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The core rules could also change in the new CBA, which could push the years a player is eligible for the core designation down to one season, or abolish it entirely. If that happens, Mitchell would no longer be eligible for the core designation, and she would become an unrestricted free agent.
The Fever are also eligible to send out a restricted qualifying offer to Lexie Hull, who just finished her rookie contract. Sending out a qualifying offer to Hull would officially make her a restricted free agent — which means she could court offers from other teams, but Indiana has the right of first refusal and is able to match any offer she gets.
Hull, the Fever’s No. 6 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, has already expressed interest in staying in Indianapolis.
“I’ve loved my years here in Indiana,” Hull said during Fever exit interviews. “Obviously, with a lot of uncertainty, you don’t know what’s to come, but I’ve built a life here, and I love this franchise, I love the people, I love the fans.”
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The Fever are also eligible to send a reserved qualifying offer, which can be extended to any free agent that has under three years of service in the WNBA, to Chloe Bibby.
The Fever signed Bibby close to the midway point of the 2025 season after she was waived by the Golden State Valkyries, but she only played in nine games for Indiana before she was ruled out for the year with a knee injury.
A reserved qualifying offer would give Bibby an unprotected one-year contract at the minimum salary, and Indiana would have exclusive negotiating rights.
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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. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel for Fever Insiders Live.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever free agents Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull may get qualifying offers
