The WNBA Finals have not been the only news surrounding the league in the last week. A lot of the focus is on the WNBA Players' Association and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert as they negotiate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current agreement expires on Oct. 31 of this year.
Throughout the negotiations, it has been made clear that the players want to be paid what they deserve. Seemingly, the leadership is not budging. Last week, the Players' Association Vice President and Minnesota Lynx star, Napheesa Collier, gave a statement stating, "We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world." She emphasized the lack of accountability coming from WNBA leadership and even quoted a conversation she and Cathy Engelbert had, where Engelbert allegedly said Caitlin Clark should be "grateful" to the WNBA, because without them, she would be making nothing.
Initially, Engelbert put out a statement saying she was "disheartened" by the way Phee went about her statement. Then, in a presser before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, when asked about the statement regarding Clark, Engelbert said, "Obviously, I did not make those comments." Essentially, calling Collier a liar. Phee responded by cancelling a meeting she had set with the Commissioner to discuss the issues, stating Engelbert "pretty much pushed the relationship beyond repair."
We know the future of the league is at the top of the players' minds. In her postseason presser, Fever veteran Kelsey Mitchell was asked about her free agency status heading into the offseason. She responded, "I hope we've got a league... that's the start."
So, yikes. If the potential lockout to start the 2026 WNBA wasn't prominent before, it sure is now, with tensions between the players and leadership growing rapidly. Let's take a look at what this could all mean for the W.
1. No 2026 WNBA Draft
If the CBA negotiations do not end with both parties happy come the end of October, this could immediately lead to a lockout, which could impact the upcoming draft. Any and all league activities will be stopped. If the league did decide to hold a draft anyway, it would be interesting to see what decisions the collegiate athletes would be left with. But my best guess is that there would be no draft until the CBA issues are resolved, and the lockout ends.
2. Players will sign overseas contracts
If a lockout occurs, this means no one will be receiving paychecks from the WNBA. This means their players will have to find money somewhere else. Now, during normal WNBA offseasons, it is typical for players to make extra money overseas. But the WNBA's worst-case scenario might be that these players realize they are not only getting treated better while playing in places like Europe, but they most likely are getting paid more as well. If the W is not careful, they might never get some of these players back.
3. Pushing Unrivaled League towards expansion
Unrivaled is a 3-on-3 league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier with the mission to provide W players a place to play in the offseason in the U.S., so they would not have to go overseas. They are offered benefits they do not receive in the WNBA, like higher salaries and equity in the league, along with childcare and other amenities. Overall, in their inaugural year, players really seemed to love it at Unrivaled. If the players and the WNBA head into a lockout, this might be all the influence Unrivaled needs to up their game, giving more players a place to make money.
Overall, a lockout and these three possible outcomes stunt any sort of momentum the WNBA has gained over the last few years. Players are growing increasingly more aggravated with the way the league is being run, which leaves fans dissatisfied with the way their favorite players are being treated. A lockout will only amplify this. And with the league's attendance and viewership growing rapidly, this is probably not a risk they should be willing to take.