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The WNBA is rolling full-steam ahead toward its March 10th deadline for negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with players, and it doesn’t seem as if there’s an answer in sight.
However, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, who many consider the face of the league, says that there’s an easy fix if the two sides would just stop messing around.
“I don’t understand why we don’t just get in a room and iron it out and shake hands,” Clark recently told Front Office Sports. “That’s how business is. You look each other in the eye, you shake hands, you respect both sides. For me, that’s what I would love to see.”
Seems simple enough, right?
But the WNBA and WNBPA have been nowhere near the same page ever since the players opted out of the previous CBA prior to the 2025 season.
WNBA players voted to authorize a strike in December, but recently walked back those plans as the reality of a missed season began to set in. Meanwhile, the WNBA continues to put what players consider a lowball offer on the table.
Breanna Stewart Agrees With Caitlin Clark
In recent months, WNBPA Vice President and two-time league MVP Breanna Stewart has come under fire for her role in negotiations stalling and co-founding the Unrivaled league, which many see as a conflict of interest.
Stewart even recently signed a contract to play overseas, insulating herself in the case of a work stoppage. But now she says that Clark has the right approach.
“I think that would be great for us all to sit in a room until we really get it done,” Stewart said. “If that means sitting in there for hours and hours at a time, let’s do it. That’s for the better of the player. While a situation like that has never happened before, there’s a first time for everything.”
Ultimately, it’s crucial for both sides to get a deal ironed out. The WNBA is growing at a rate unlike it’s ever seen before, and players are already reaping the benefits of that on the marketing side.
A missed or even shortened season risks undoing a good portion of that growth. Here’s hoping everyone takes Clark’s advice, gets in a room together, and gets a deal done.