WNBA Expansion Teams Frustrated As CBA Negotiations Drag Into Uncertainty
The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are supposed to tip off in 2026, but a stalled CBA is slowing everything down.
The rapid growth of the WNBA continues, with two new expansion teams set to debut next season in Portland and Toronto. But with collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations dragging on and an agreement looking increasingly unlikely by the Oct. 31 deadline, the league’s offseason could be headed for chaos.
That chaos starts with the expansion draft, which must take place before free agency can begin. Last year, the Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft was held on Dec. 7. But with no CBA in place — and no rules or dates yet announced — the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are still waiting for clarity.
"We don’t know what’s going to happen," Portland general manager Vanja Černivec said at her introductory press conference on Tuesday. "There are a lot of unknowns. It’s best to plan as if the negotiations are going to be done on time. So we’re planning for the expansion draft to go forward similar to last year, in December. Then free agency, probably February. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to pivot and be ready for the unknown."
Černivec was just announced as the Fire’s first GM on Aug. 25 after previously helping lead the Valkyries to a wildly successful first season. The Tempo, meanwhile, hired GM Monica Wright back in February and added Eli Horowitz as the assistant GM in May. Both teams have been scouting all year. But they still don’t know what the rules will be, whom they can select, or when the draft will even happen.
They also haven’t hired coaches.
And it’s not just about roster construction. Without a clear timeline, both franchises say their marketing efforts have been thrown into limbo as well.
"There are things we know that we can start planning around… That we’re Canada’s team," Tempo president Teresa Resch said. "There are a lot of things we can have discussions about. To say that it’s all planned and we have a run of show would be far from the truth, but that’s the life of sports."
WNBA CBA Talks Remain At A Standstill
While the league and the players union both claim a new CBA is their "top priority," the two sides don’t appear to be getting anywhere. The current deal — of which players opted out last fall — expires at the end of October.
The players’ biggest demands are higher salaries and a larger share of the league’s growing revenue. As OutKick has previously reported, the WNBA just signed a $2.2 billion media rights deal that kicks in next year and added five new expansion franchises (including Portland and Toronto). The most recently announced expansion teams are paying a whopping $250 million each to join the league.
So far, negotiations for a new WNBA collective bargaining agreement have reportedly gone nowhere.
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Still, the WNBPA recently accused the league of "running out the clock" on negotiations — raising fears of a work stoppage that would freeze all offseason activity and delay key events like the expansion draft.
The league responded with a lengthy statement of its own, insisting it has been meeting with the union "all summer" and remains committed to a new CBA that "addresses the players’ priorities while also supporting the long-term growth and success of the league and teams."
But so far, no agreement has been reached. And the clock is ticking — not just for the current players, but now for Portland and Toronto, too.