Free agency put on hold as WNBA and WNBPA sign moratorium after missing January 9 extension deadline

The WNBA and the WNBPA had agreed on a 6-week extension to figure out the differences on the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Announced on November 30, the extension deadline was January 9. However, both sides failed to reach an agreement by the deadline and now both the WNBA and the player association have decided to sign a moratorium for all legal business purposes.

ESPN’s senior writer, Ramona Shelburne, made the announcement on X. The moratorium will only exist till the time the new CBA receives the formal consent for its functioning. This will put the free agency on hold while the rules of the former CBA will continue to exist. This is in order to conform to the US Labor laws.

ESPN senior writer announces moratorium signed between WNBA and WNBPA

ESPN’s senior writer, Ramona Shelburne, made an important announcement on January 12, 2026. Ever since the WNBA and the players’ association failed to reach an agreement on the CBA, both sides have entered the status quo. This means that the rules of the previous CBA remain unchanged and allow both sides to continue negotiations. Under these rules, the agreement also prevents the league and its players from going on strike without proper notice. Now, on January 12, the league has decided to sign a moratorium with the players’ association.


ESPN’s Ramona made the announcement on X. She wrote, “The WNBA and WNBPA have reached an agreement on a moratorium for league business, sources tell ESPN. This is necessary because the sides had failed to reach an agreement on a new CBA agreement or an extension by the January 9 deadline.” This will halt the initial stages of free agency. Here, the team would have sought to deliver qualifying offers and franchise tag designations to players. Ramona further wrote in the announcement, “Didn’t make sense for teams to be offering qualifying offers, core designations or courting free agents until there was a new CBA.” The moratorium for both sides makes sense, as they lag apart on salaries and revenue sharing.

Napheesa Collier breaks the silence on failure to reach an agreement on a new CBA

Despite the 6-week extension, both the WNBA and the WNBPA failed to reach an agreement on the new CBA. Breaking her silence on the issue, the Vice-President of the WNBA, Napheesa Collier, commented, “Obviously, we'd hoped that we would be a lot farther along than we are, because it's been about [15] months at this point, but at the same time, we have to stay strong in what our values are and what we're standing for.”

She emphasized the kind of unity that the players were experiencing. Napheesa added, “The players feel really united right now. We're waiting for the league to come back, and we're not going to accept a bad deal. We're waiting for the league to come back and respond to our thoughtful and reasonable proposals.”

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