Caitlin Clark IMAGN 03232026
Is Caitlin Clark a free agent? Why WNBA free agent ‘frenzy’ could realign the league originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
This WNBA offseason is unprecedented.
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The Women’s National Basketball Players Association on Monday voted unanimously in favor of the new collective bargaining agreement that will see salaries rise around the league. It will also see the majority of the league’s veteran players hit free agency at the same time next month.
This is by design. Players like Kahleah Copper, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson intentionally signed short-term deals under the 2020-era CBA to set themselves up for a payday when the new CBA came into effect — whether that is with their current teams, or somewhere else.
These players each can sign new $1.4 million supermax contracts when they hit the market on April 9. But younger players like Paige Bueckers and even Caitlin Clark will have to wait.
Why Clark is not a free agent
Though more than 100 WNBA players are set to hit free agency next month, Clark will not be among them.
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That’s because the superstar guard is in the third year of her rookie-scale contract, which runs through the 2027 season.
However, a provision in the new CBA means Clark is in line to earn a maximum salary sooner than she would have under the old agreement.
The Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract (“EPIC”) clause will see Clark — by virtue of her All-WNBA selection in 2024 — gain eligibility to sign a $1.3 million-per-year max contract extension with the Indiana Fever in 2027.
Clark’s salary for 2026 already is going up as rookie-scale contracts under the old CBA are being revised. The 24-year-old is slated to make around $530,000 in her third WNBA season.
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