WNBA contract has big raises. How much will Caitlin Clark, other make?

Big changes are coming to the Women’s National Basketball Association.

The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, the union for the league’s players, agreed to a term sheet for a new collective bargaining agreement on March 20, following roughly 17 months of negotiations. The league’s board of governors ratified the terms of the deal shortly after.

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The new CBA is a landmark deal for WNBA players in the 30-year history of the league and reflects the league’s growth and rising popularity over the past two seasons, fueled in large part by former Iowa star Caitlin Clark entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024.

The agreement will take effect for the 2026 season and last seven years, running through 2032. Key provisions include increased revenue sharing for players, expanded roster sizes, league-wide housing benefits for players and a plan to add more regular‑season games in future years, among other changes.

However, perhaps the most significant and immediately impactful change from the deal is that the salary cap for teams is increasing by more than four times its 2025 level, leading to higher player salaries. Here’s what to know.

WNBA salary structure in 2026

The team salary cap, which limits how much each franchise can spend on player salaries, will jump to $7 million in 2026, up from $1.5 million in 2025.

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Under the new agreement, the average WNBA salary is projected to be roughly $583,000 in 2026 (up from $119,590 in 2025). The average salary is expected to approach $1 million by the end of the agreement, according to USA TODAY Sports.

The minimum salary range will be based on years of WNBA experience and is expected to be roughly four times the 2025 minimum salary of $66,079. The supermax is expected to be $1.4 million. Supermax players earned a base salary of $249,244 last season.

Besides the salary cap, the new CBA also overhauls player bonuses.

• MVP: $60,000 (up from $15,450)

• Defensive Player of the Year $30,000 (up from $5,150)

• First-team All-WNBA: $30,000 (up from $10,300)

• Second-team All-WNBA: $15,000 (up from $5,150)

• Rookie of the Year: $15,000 (up from $5,150)

How much will Iowa and Iowa State WNBA players make in the new CBA?

Clark is not the only former player from Iowa who will benefit from the new CBA. Three other former Hawkeyes and one former Cyclone are also expected to get large salary bumps.

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Caitlin Clark’s new salary with the Indiana Fever

• 2026 projected salary: $530,000

The new WNBA CBA also revamps the rookie contract scale, significantly boosting pay for top draft picks and raising existing rookie contracts league-wide. That will give the 2024 No. 1 pick in Clark a $530,000 salary in 2026, according to ESPN.

The new CBA also creates a pathway for rookies to reach max contracts if they earn MVP or All-WNBA honors. Because Clark was named First‑Team All‑WNBA as a rookie, she can become eligible for a maximum contract in the fourth year of her rookie deal in 2027.

Bridget Carleton’s new salary with the Minnesota Lynx

• 2026 projected salary: $300,000 to $600,000+

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Former Cyclone star Bridget Carleton conveniently signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Lynx in 2024, making her a free agent this offseason. The deal was a reported two-year, $250,000 contract, according to Spotrac.

The minimum in the new CBA is between $270,000 and $300,000, depending on years of service, so Carleton’s annual salary is likely to more than double. Going into her eighth WNBA season and starting nearly every game for the Lynx the past two years, the former Cyclone could potentially fetch well above the minimum.

Megan Gustafson’s new salary with the Las Vegas Aces

• 2026 projected salary: $300,000 to $600,000

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Like Carleton, former Hawkeye Megan Gustafson completed her 7th season in the WNBA in 2025 and signed a two-year deal in 2024 with the Las Vegas Aces, paying her an annual salary of $95,410.

Gustafson will also be a free agent and will benefit from the dramatically higher salary floor. While she has played a more limited role than Carleton in recent seasons, the new CBA guarantees veterans of her experience level a minimum salary of roughly $300,000.

Kate Martin’s new salary with the Golden State Valkyries

• 2025 salary: $67,000 – $69,000

• 2026 projected salary: $270,000 and $300,000

Martin is entering the third year of her rookie contract, which she signed after being selected in the second round of the 2024 WNBA Draft. The former Hawkeye averaged 6.2 points, 2,7 rebounds and 1 assist in 42 regular-season games for the Golden State Valkyries in 2025.

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Lucy Olsen’s new salary with the Washington Mystics

• 2025 salary: $$69,000 – $70,000

• 2026 projected salary: $270,000 and $300,000

Lucy Olsen is entering the second year of a reported three-year, $217,640 rookie contract she signed after being selected No. 23 in the 2025 WNBA Draft. The former Iowa women’s basketball point guard won the 2026 WNBL championship, a professional women’s basketball league held in Australia, during her WNBA offseason.

When does the WNBA season start?

The 2026 season is scheduled to tip off on Friday, May 8.

• April 3: Expansion draft

• April 7–18: Free agency

• April 19: Training camp begins

• April 25-May 3: Preseason games

• June 1-17: Commissioner’s Cup

• July 24-25: All-Star Weekend (Chicago)

• Aug. 31- Sept. 16: FIBA Break

• Sept. 24: Last day of regular season

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Caitlin Clark, Iowa alums set for big raises under new WNBA contract