Warriors’ Draymond Green applauds WNBA players’ successful push for new CBA originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The WNBA and the WNBPA have reached a new collective bargaining agreement ahead of the upcoming 2026 season.
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ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the details of the new CBA deal, which includes a salary cap that starts at $7 million, an average revenue share of nearly 20 percent, a supermax starting at $1.4 million and an average salary in the range of $600K with a minimum above $300K.
Warriors star Draymond Green reacted to the newest agreement between the WNBA and its players.
“Kudos to the ladies,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show.” “Congratulations. Job well done, well deserved, definitely earned. … Respect to the ladies. Nneka Ogwumike, Napheesa Collier. You all stood on business. You all have been talking the talk. You all walk the walk, and it’s so hard to do.”
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Despite a massive improvement in the WNBA players’ salaries, Green believes a strike would have made sense to negotiate even higher numbers for the new CBA.
“I was in favor of them locking out because, as good a deal as this is, I always think you can get better,” Green shared. “Personally, I … think probably 80 to 90 percent of the women in the WNBA [do] not solely depend on WNBA money as their revenue.
“And unlike the NBA, NBA players can’t hold their ground and end up with these awful deals to save our lives in large part due to [it being] the main source of money for probably 98 percent of guys. And so guys [would want] to get back to playing.”
Last season, WNBA salaries carried an average of around $107K, according to Spotrac. With the new CBA deal, players will get paid significantly more, which would help them financially and make it unnecessary for many of them to play elsewhere just to earn more money.
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“I think the WNBPA is in the biggest position of power right now, as it stands right now today or yesterday, because as the salary cap rises, people will stop doing other things,” Green detailed.
“They’ll stop going to Europe. They’ll stop doing other things, because they’ll make more money. So then this could be their main source of income. Well, once that happens, you’re no longer in the same position that you were before.”
“Happy they got a deal done that they’re happy about,” Green added. “Happy that the money is going up. Well deserved. Shoutout to the ladies. Congratulations. Looking forward to the season.”
With the new CBA in place, the WNBA regular season is set to kick off on May 8, with the Golden State Valkyries set to take on the Seattle Storm for their 2026 season opener.
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