WNBA, union agree to CBA extension -- what's next in negotiations?

Some 24 hours up of the expiration of the WNBA's corporate bargaining agreement, the league and the WNBPA agreed to a 30-day hold of the existent CBA arsenic the sides enactment toward a caller deal.

More than a twelvemonth ago, the WNBPA opted retired of the CBA, giving the national and the league astir a twelvemonth to make a caller "transformative" woody that could physique disconnected the tremendous maturation the WNBA has experienced implicit the past fewer years.

Tensions betwixt some sides escalated successful caller months, and determination was ne'er an denotation a woody would get done earlier Friday's deadline.

As precocious arsenic Tuesday, WNBPA counsel Erin D. Drake said connected The Athletic's No Offseason podcast that a woody by Friday is "not going to happen" and claimed the league has operated with a deficiency of urgency. The league retorted that the national should "spend little clip disseminating nationalist misinformation and much clip joining america successful constructive engagement crossed the table."

The league had projected a 30-day hold to the players, which a root told ESPN connected Tuesday they mightiness beryllium consenting to see "under the close circumstances" but they consciousness "those circumstances bash not yet exist."

The players changed people by the extremity of the week, and ESPN confirmed Thursday evening that an statement had been reached to widen the existent CBA done Nov. 30.

How did we get present and what happens next? With plentifulness to fig retired earlier the play tips disconnected successful May, ESPN explores what to expect nether the caller timeline.

What happens present that an hold has been reached?

The statement signals that some parties privation to proceed negotiations successful hopes of reaching a woody soon.

During the past CBA talks successful 2019, the WNBPA and WNBA agreed to a 60-day hold earlier a caller woody was yet ratified successful January 2020. That clip around, though, determination wasn't a large clip crunch arsenic determination is now, needing to acceptable successful a two-team enlargement draught and monolithic escaped bureau play wherever astir each the league's veterans are seeking caller deals each earlier the 2026 play would apt footwear disconnected successful May.

Though some parties met aggregate times this week for bargaining up of Friday's deadline, it is not yet wide however often they volition conscionable during the adjacent 30 days. Typically those meetings see WNBA and NBA staff, positive their extracurricular counsel, arsenic good arsenic WNBPA unit and its extracurricular counsel, and perchance national advisors and subordinate leadership.

But ... what happens if there's nary woody astatine the extremity of the 30 days?

Another hold is ever possible, though the WNBA has a batch to acceptable into this offseason. And adjacent if the woody expires, a enactment stoppage would not automatically follow.

There doesn't technically request to beryllium an hold for some sides to proceed bargaining -- alternatively they'd participate a signifier called "status quo" wherever the moving conditions of the existent CBA would stay successful place.

The problem: If determination isn't an extension, it would unfastened the doorway for a imaginable enactment stoppage, either a onslaught initiated by the players oregon a lockout initiated by the owners. So far, that isn't an overwhelming concern: Even earlier the hold was announced, sources league-wide did not judge a enactment stoppage was imminent.

What is the biggest contented keeping the sides apart?

In nationalist comments, players person implied that the 2 sides are efficaciously speaking antithetic languages astatine the bargaining table, with the large sticking constituent being what a wage strategy and gross sharing should look like.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said connected the TODAY Show past week that WNBA players tin expect a "big increase" successful their salaries. But the players are seeking a wage strategy that grows with the bu...