Fever guard Caitlin Clark and other stars under rookie-scale contracts are due for big paydays even without hitting the free agent market.
That’s because the WNBA’s new seven-year collective bargaining agreement is a step closer to becoming official after the league and the Women’s National Basketball Association signed a term sheet Friday evening.
The agreement includes a comprehensive budget model, larger salary caps, league-level facilities and improved retirement benefits, among other things.
The players and the WNBA Board of Governors still need to vote, which is expected to happen “soon,” a source told The Post.
Existing rookie contracts will be resized to the new scale defined in the CBA.
The total salary will start at $7 million – rising from $1.5 million in 2025. The supermax is expected to start at $1.4 million and is expected to reach $2.4 million by 2032.
In 2026, the average salary is estimated at $583,000 and is expected to exceed $1 million over the life of the agreement. Meanwhile, this season’s minimum wage ranges from $270,000 to $300,000 based on years of service.
Performance and bonus awards also increased significantly, with the 2026 WNBA champions expected to be awarded $60,000 each — up from the $22,908 bonus check the Aces earned in 2025.
One of the new benefits is that players can earn rewards for playing at a higher level faster in their careers than before.
A special performance in the first clause of the contract, called “EPIC,” allows players to renegotiate their fourth-year salary and earn a maximum if they earn All-WNBA first- or second-team honors in the first three years of their career, or a supermax if they are named the league’s MVP.
ESPN first reported the clause and used Clark as an example of how it could work.
Clark, who earned $78,066 last season, is expected to see his salary jump 578 percent in 2026 to $530,000. Clark, who was named to the 2024 All-WNBA First Team during her first campaign, could earn a maximum salary of approximately $1.3 million in 2027 before signing a supermax of $1.7 million in 2028, according to ESPN.
Sources told The Post that, under EPIC, the player will need to sign a three-year extension that will take effect after the rookie contract expires.
That would mean the Fever could shut down Clark until 2030.
Other players who could currently benefit from the EPIC offer are Fever center Aliyah Boston and Wings guard Paige Bueckers, who were named to the 2025 All-WNBA Second Team.
Boston will be eligible for a max contract this year, while Bueckers will be eligible in 2028.
Another change in the CBA is that the core name, the WNBA equivalent of the NFL’s franchise tag, is only eligible for players with six years or less of service, starting in 2027.
That means Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu is eligible to be selected as a significant player in 2026.
Teams will be required to carry 12 players in addition to having two new roster spots that count against the salary cap.
There is also a new injury outcome in the second round that will allow teams to trade salaries to replace players who have played outside.
Club-provided housing will be available to all players through the 2028 season.
Starting in 2029, players making $500,000 or less will be eligible for team housing.
Developing players are guaranteed housing throughout the life of the agreement.
Officials of the WNBA and WNBPA continued their victory Friday night with the official announcement that an agreement had been reached.
League commissioner Cathy Engelbert called this a “defining moment” in women’s professional sports.
“Since its inception, the WNBA has been shaped by extraordinary athletes who believe in the future of this league,” Engelbert said in a statement. “The agreement is a testament to that belief and the great progress we have achieved together.”
The director of the WNBPA, Terri Carmichael Jackson, praised the players’ union for staying united and not backing down in the fight for their values.
“When the players win, the league wins,” Jackson said. “This agreement reveals what the players intended to do from the beginning, to change the economy in this league, it marks a new era led by players who know their strengths and choose to use them.”
