The WNBA and players’ union announced the two sides have signed to a term sheet for the new collective bargaining agreement, the league announced Friday afternoon.
The new CBA includes significantly increased salaries, housing players for the first three years of the agreement, expanded retirement benefits and more games in future seasons.
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Here are five key provisions that impact the Indiana Fever, and WNBA teams, from the new collective bargaining agreement:
Expanded salary cap
The salary cap will rise to $7 million in 2026, more than four times the 2025 salary cap of $1.5 million. The salary cap, along with player maximum and minimum salaries, are expected to rise each year with the new revenue sharing system. The league projects the salary cap to be $11 million by 2032, the final year of the CBA.
The new supermax will be $1.4 million in 2026, while the veteran minimum will be between $270,000 and $300,000 depending on years of service.
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For the players on rookie contracts, their salaries will increase to the new rookie scale. That will give 2024 No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark a $530,000 salary in 2026, according to ESPN.
Delayed changes to core requirement
The league and players’ union made a tweak to the core service requirement, limiting it to players who have fewer than seven years of experience. Under the previous CBA, all players, regardless of years of experience, were eligible to be cored — a supermax contract in exchange for exclusive negotiating rights — for up to two years.
This provision, however, will not go into effect until 2027.
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This is significant for the Fever, as it means they will be able to core Kelsey Mitchell in 2026 — as long as the new CBA does not decrease the number of core service years required.
Indiana cored Mitchell for the first time in 2025, giving her a supermax salary of $250,000. If the Fever core her again in 2026, she would likely command a salary of $1.4 million as part of the new salary scale.
The Fever do not necessarily need to core Mitchell in 2026, but it could be an option for them.
Expedited path for players to make maximum money
In another tweak to the core requirement, the league and players’ union agreed to create an expedited path for top players on rookie contracts to earn maximum contracts.
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EPIC — exceptional players on initial contracts — allows players who have made All-WNBA teams to renegotiate their fourth-year salary, according to ESPN. Players who are on All-WNBA first or second teams will have the ability to negotiate up to a maximum contract, ESPN reported, while players who have won MVP would be eligible to negotiate up to a supermax.
Aliyah Boston, who is entering the fourth year of her rookie contract with the Fever, would be eligible for a renegotiation ahead of the 2026 season, as she was an All-WNBA second team selection in 2025. Clark, an All-WNBA first team selection in 2024, will be eligible for a max contract in 2027, or a supermax contract if she wins MVP in 2026.
Developmental player spots
Each team will be required to carry a minimum of 12 players on the roster at all times. In the previous CBA, teams could carry a minimum of 11.
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To combat needing hardship contracts, each team will also have two developmental spots on the roster which don’t count against the salary cap. Those developmental players will be called up as needed when a player on the main roster gets injured.
There will also be salary cap exception for players with season-ending injuries and players who become pregnant.
These provisions would have been extremely helpful to the Fever in 2025, when they had six season-ending injuries. Indiana had to use multiple hardship contracts, bringing in players midseason and applying for salary cap exceptions. Now, with the developmental roster spots, players will be with the franchise from the beginning of the season.
There are no details announced yet on how many games a developmental player could play on the main roster or if they’d regularly travel with the team.
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More games in future seasons
The 2026 season will stay at 44 games, but the new CBA opened the door for more games in future seasons.
There could be as many as 50 games in 2027 and ‘28, and up to 52 games in 2029-32.
More games will force the WNBA to expand the footprint of its season either forward or backward. The 2026 season is expected to extend into November because of the leaguewide World Cup break between Aug. 31-Sept. 16, and future seasons could do the same.
It would be difficult for the WNBA to start its season earlier, as rookies coming off their final college season do not finish until early April with the women’s college basketball national championship game.
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The expanded season will also create more wear on players, especially the rookies who are essentially playing two seasons in a row. The WNBA has not specified how it would extend the season.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel for Fever Insiders Live.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever: How CBA affects Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell
