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WNBA Sets One-Week Free Agency Sprint After New CBA

The tight window forces quick offers under a higher cap, with an EPIC rule poised to speed up top rookies’ pay.

Overview

  • A league announcement Sunday set a two-day designation period for Monday and Tuesday, a Wednesday–Friday negotiating window, and signings starting Saturday.
  • More than 100 players are on the market as over 80% of the league hits free agency, with only Seattle’s Lexie Brown and Phoenix’s Kalani Brown among vets already under contract.
  • The new deal lifts the 2026 team cap to about $7 million and pegs the supermax near $1.4 million, driving sizable raises projected by Spotrac for young stars such as Aliyah Boston ($574,000), Caitlin Clark ($528,000), Paige Bueckers ($500,000) and Angel Reese ($350,000).
  • A new Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract provision lets certain All‑WNBA or MVP honorees renegotiate Year 4 and reach max or supermax earlier, accelerating earnings for top rookies.
  • Top names like A’ja Wilson in Las Vegas and New York’s Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have signaled they will re-sign, as teams race toward the April 13 draft and April 19 training camps after the April 3 expansion draft for Portland and Toronto.