If you have been following the WNBA CBA negotiations, then you know that time has passed, and yet no resolution has been reached. The dates have already been extended twice, with both sides reaching an impasse, and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) has agreed to a moratorium on league business. That decision has now rankled Sophie Cunningham, and she has made her disapproval known.
“Me and Sydney Colson were the only ones there this past week, and our CBA is so dumb right now, like it’s heading towards a lockout. So nothing we get like weekly emails from like the PA side of things, and it’s just like it’s just so dumb,” Cunningham said on the Show Me Something podcast as she talked about her Indiana Fever get-together with Lexie and Sydney at Lexie Hull’s fiancé Will Matthiessen’s birthday party.
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With terms stalling and both parties having entered a temporary “status quo” period, maintaining the previous working conditions, the new moratorium means teams cannot issue qualifying offers, apply core designations, or sign free agents. That brings everything to a standstill.
Many hoped that after such a surge of protests and appeals, the league would contemplate and change its stance. However, the league seems adamant, and it does not find the new deal feasible. The players have explicitly stated the need for revamping the player salaries that would entail a 30% of gross revenue and a salary cap of around $10.5 million, but their demands have fallen on deaf ears, as the league doesn’t see reason in bending to their “whims.”
Sep 14, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts to a call against the Atlanta Dream in the fourth quarter during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The league has been dismissive and has vehemently brushed off the WNBPA’s ultimatum by labeling it “financially unsustainable.” So what happens next is the big question that is playing on everyone’s minds right now. Does this put Sophie Cunningham and the others in a fix?
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Moratorium agreed upon, and negotiations will commence regarding player salaries
With both sides locked in a moratorium, The Associated Press has exclusively stated that no business dealings will take place if the two teams don’t come to a common ground. The WNBA’s current offer, however, looks to make amends by going for a substantial increase in annual salaries.
Although the WNBA’s current offer provides players with a substantial increase in average annual salaries, the union believes the amount simply doesn’t cut it compared to the revenue it is making off the players.
The most recent offer guarantees a maximum base salary of $1 million, starting this season, that could rise to $1.3 million through revenue sharing. The last CBA had a maximum cap of $249,000.
Credit: IMAGO
The latest proposal looks to compensate players and entitles them to receive more than 70% of net revenue. That would be after expenses are paid. Those expenses would include better amenities for players, such as upgraded facilities, charter flights, and five-star hotels.
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Resultantly, the average salary would also increase to more than $530,000, which dwarfs the current $120,000 by a long shot, and grow to more than $770,000 over the life of the agreement. The minimum salary would be up from $67,000 to approximately $250,000 in the first year.
So, as things stand, it all comes down to the money and the numbers, with a lot of permutations and combinations going on. Just like the battle on the court, this too is heating up, but behind closed doors and with so much at stake, every basketball player’s focus will be on the outcome.
Let’s hope there is a peaceful ending to this problem so Sophie Cunningham and her basketball pals can breathe easy.
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