What if a New WNBA CBA Deal Isn't Reached?

A lockout isn't the most-likely scenario.

October 31 is a key date.

No, not just because it's Halloween (aka Christmas in our household). It's the deadline set for the WNBA and the WNBPA to come to an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The thing is, it's looking less and less likely that it's going to happen.

Breanna Stewart called the conversations in Indianapolis over All-Star weekend a "wasted opportunity," and Satou Sabally called an early July proposal from the league a "slap in the face."

Annie Costabile, of Front Office Sports, received a statement from the player's union that said:

“The players are working diligently to achieve a transformational CBA that builds on the growth, momentum, and positive news surrounding women’s sports and the W,” WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said in a statement to FOS. “As we approach the 60-day mark, the league’s lack of urgency leaves players wondering if it is focused on making this work or just running out the clock. Fans do not want that. They are with the players in demanding a new standard for the W.” 

The league responded to that statement with:

“We have been clear with the WNBPA but so there is no doubt—our number one priority is to get a new collective bargaining agreement completed that addresses the players’ priorities while also supporting the long-term growth and success of the league and teams,” a spokesperson for the WNBA told FOS. “We have been meeting with the union throughout the summer and will continue to meet until this gets done, with additional sessions already scheduled through the rest of the season.”

OK, are we all caught up?

See, the thing is, in the history of this wonderful league, no games have ever been missed due to a work stoppage.

Not once.

And while Halloween is nearly a month away (remember, full-size candy bars if you can and also there's no age limit on trick or treating!), if a deal isn't reached by then, it doesn't mean all is lost.

No, see, there are a couple paths forward. The first and most likely would be that the league and the WNBPA agree to a deadline extension. That happened during the last CBA negotiations, with a 60-day extension agreed to just days before the original deadline.

This would be the best-case scenario if a deal can't be struck by the deadline. The biggest change between now and the last CBA negotiations in 2019 is that there are two new teams joining the league this year in the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire.

Why does that matter?

Well, last year, the Golden State Valkyries had their expansion draft in early December, so a 60-day extension of the deadline would make the new deadline December 31.

Players can start talking to teams on January 21 before officially signing on February 1.

So that leaves very little time for an expansion draft for two franchises before free agency in a year that features 123 free agents (unrestricted, restricted, exclusive rights, and club).

The other option is, of course, a lockout. A lockout would mean no expansion draft. No free agency. No access to team facilities. No practice. No rookie draft. No 2026 season until a deal is reached.

"We're seeing expansion, and the players are just saying, 'Hey, let us have our fair share of that,'" Seattle Storm star and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told ESPN. "Sometimes that means proposing something new that makes sense for the time. Not really new – new to us, not to other leagues."

The one saving grace is that the two expansion teams are joining this year and then have two more in 2028 and not in 2027. Because if the worst-case scenario happens where the season is canceled (let's be clear – I don't think it happens and while headlines can add the scare tactics in there for clickbait, there's a low chance of this happening), bringing in four new teams at once would create chaos that even those who love the chaos (raises hand) would shy away from.

If someone asked me right now what the most-likely outcome is, I would say that the two sides agree to an extension of the deadline and a deal gets done in mid-December. The expansion drafts take place the first week of January, and the rest of the offseason operations move forward as planned.

A'One of One

For the first time in WNBA history, a player has won the MVP for the fourth time.

Right now, the award is named the KIA WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, but in a decade when she's retired, they need to change the name to the A'ja Wilson Award.

Because while she has four now, it's far from being her last.

The news broke Sunday morning (by fucking Shams of all people and I hate it) that A'ja won her fourth MVP Award. The voting, which I thought would be a lot closer, ended up not being close at all.

I've been on record that Napheesa Collier was my MVP pick. It was a mix of being the best player on the best team, having a historic season, and having the consistent, elite-level play all season long instead of the second half of the season.

But Phee's injury and the Lynx's success without her, coupled with A'ja going BEAST MODE, saving the Aces' season, I have zero issue with her winning.

She's the best player in the world.

There are no quantifiers here. Point. Blank. Period.

FOUR. EVER. THE. ONE. 👑 A surprise fit for history. A’ja Wilson adds to her legacy in unforgettable fashion. #KiaMVP | #WelcometotheW

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— WNBA (@wnba.com) September 21, 2025 at 11:25 AM

Noelle Quinn Out in Seattle

After a first-round exit – almost knocking off the Aces – the Seattle Storm have fired Noelle Quinn as head coach. It's not surprising given the culture questions around the Storm and the collapse that they had throughout the season.

But it makes me sad because in a league that is made up primarily of Black women, Quinn was the only Black woman head coach.

Seattle needed a reset. There's no question about that.

And right away, there's one name that stood out to me.

Kristi Toliver.

If I’m the Seattle Storm, I’m doing whatever it takes to get Kristi Toliver as my next coach. #WNBA

— Pitch Mr. Perfect (@michaelwaterloo.bsky.social) September 21, 2025 at 3:36 PM

Toliver is an assistant head coach with the Phoenix Mercury, but she would make a fantastic coach in the WNBA.

If it isn't Seattle, I would be shocked if Toliver isn't a coach by 2028 with the new franchises entering the league.

The other coach I'd look at is Nola Henry in Dallas. Henry has done a fantastic job as an assistant, rising through the ranks becoming one of the most coveted "next up" coaches in the league.

Plus, we saw what she could do in Unrivaled, leading the Rose to the inaugural championship.

MLB Final Week

It turns out that the field wasn't decided by the first week of September like many thought.

No, the final week of the MLB season has a lot at stake.

The Mets have held a playoff spot since April, but are now behind the Cincinnati Reds for the final playoff spot as their historic collapse continues. The Reds have the same record as the Mets but they own the tiebreaker. The Reds have three games against the Pirates and three against the Brewers. The Mets have three against the Cubs and three against the Marlins.

I root for chaos, so I want the Reds to get the final playoff spot because I just want to see what the fallout for the Mets will be.

In the American League, the Guardians have somehow mounted a comeback in the AL Central, finding themselves just one game back of the Detroit Tigers. But it's the final wild card spot that we have to keep an eye on.

New York Yankees (88-68): +4 games

Boston Red Sox (85-71) + 1 game

Cleveland Guardians (84-72): holds head-to-head tiebreaker vs. Houston

Houston Astros (84-72)

Houston would find itself out of the playoffs if the season ended today, but six games remaining, the last playoff spots will come down to the whichever of the Tigers and Guardians don't win the division, the Red Sox, and the Astros, who are on the outside looking in after the Mariners have played their best baseball over the last month.

The Astros are three back of the Mariners, but they have the Athletics and Angels to round out their year, while the Mariners have the Rockies and Dodgers (what happened to the game I love where teams will play division rivals to end the season?).

Buckle up.

Until Next Time

I have a fun activity planned for Friday's newsletter. I'm going to go with that unless something big happens, which it usually does.

Either way, same bat time, same bat channel.

I love you awesome nerds.