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Morning Edition

July 3, 2025

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WNBA players have been outspoken about their displeasure with the state of CBA negotiations. FOS has learned the league sent players its first proposal last week—and they’re not pleased with it.

— Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

WNBA Players Reject League’s First CBA Offer [[link removed]]

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The clock is ticking on the WNBA and its union to agree to a new collective bargaining agreement—but the two sides appear to be far apart.

The Phoenix Mercury’s Satou Sabally, a WNBPA player representative, told the media Tuesday that the WNBA sent a proposal to the union and described it as a “slap in the face.” Her comments came the day after the WNBA announced three new expansion teams that will bring the league to a record 18 franchises [[link removed]].

“I love to see the league growing. … But how cool would it also be to have a little bit of expansion on the rosters? Let’s focus on the teams that have everything set up right now,” Sabally said.

A source close to the negotiations told Front Office Sports that the WNBA sent the proposal to the union last week and that it’s the first proposal the league has sent. The source confirmed that the players felt the initial proposal wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their request.

Last week, Indiana Fever players Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson read a prepared statement [[link removed]] to the media on behalf of the union ahead of their nationally televised game against the Las Vegas Aces.

“As the league grows, it’s time for the CBA that reflects our true value. We are fighting for a fair share of business that we built,” Cunningham said, in part.

The WNBA did not respond to a request for comment.

The WNBA’s Financial Situation

The league agreed to a record 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal [[link removed]], alongside the same partners as the NBA. That number has already grown due to a multi-year extension the WNBA signed with Scripps Sports.

ESPN reported last year that the final deal could be worth close to $3 billion [[link removed]]—a $270 million average annual value that would be more than four times what the league previously received. Front Office Sports reported that the WNBA also received $250 million in expansion fees for its three new franchises.

About 80% of the league’s players are free agents next year in anticipation of exponential increases in their salaries. However, the addition of more teams (a 50% increase from 2024 to 2030) also dilutes the revenue pot. Roster expansion will have the same effect.

The WNBA has also faced financial woes in past years. The Washington Post reported last year that the league has lost an average of $10 million per year [[link removed]] since its founding.

Caitlin Chimes In

While there are several contentious components in the CBA, topics involving compensation are clearly at the top of players’ priority list.

Fever star Caitlin Clark spoke about the WNBA’s championship prize money [[link removed]] Tuesday on the Instagram Live of Colson during the team’s Commissioner’s Cup championship celebration.

“We get more for [the Commissioner’s Cup] than you do if you’re a [WNBA champion]. Makes no sense. Someone tell Cathy [Engelbert] to help us out,” Clark said.

Players on the team that wins the Commissioner’s Cup take home around $30,000 each, while players on the WNBA champions take $11,356 each, according to the league’s current CBA.

SPONSORED BY NUVEEN

The Deal That Reimagined Retirement

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Every July 1st, baseball fans celebrate Bobby Bonilla Day [[link removed]]—a reminder that smart financial planning can pay off in more ways than one. To mark the occasion this year, Front Office Sports teamed up with Nuveen to tell the story behind one of the most iconic deals in sports history—and how it continues to inspire conversations around financial confidence in retirement [[link removed]].

Through an exclusive feature with Bobby Bonilla, we explore how his innovative contract became a long-term plan that delivers steady, secure income. This collaboration highlights the power of thinking long-term—and the lasting sense of security that comes with it [[link removed]].

Watch the video [[link removed]] to learn more about the contract’s lasting legacy.

As NBA Free Agency Quiets, Focus Shifts to Potential Extensions [[link removed]]

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

NBA free agency just started at 6 p.m. ET on June 30, but the scene has already started to quiet. The biggest names remaining are restricted free agents (Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, and Quentin Grimes) and aging veterans (Chris Paul, Al Horford, and Russell Westbrook).

However, contract extensions are the next focus of the NBA’s offseason. Some of the league’s best are eligible for nine-figure extensions, similar to the four-year, $285 million deal that 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander agreed to Tuesday with the Thunder [[link removed]].

That includes three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, who can sign a three-year deal worth more than $200 million. That deal would start in 2027–28, with the first year replacing the player option on his current supermax deal. He has three years, $177.1 million left on that deal.

Jokić has little incentive to sign the extension, as he can wait for next summer to sign a four-year extension in the ballpark of $300 million. In the last few days, however, the Nuggets have made significant changes [[link removed]]—trading for Cam Johnson and Jonas Valančiūnas and signing Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr.—that could incentivize their star to lock into his extension early.

“We’re definitely going to offer it. I’m not sure if he’s going to accept it or not because we’re also going to explain every financial parameter around him signing now versus signing later, ” Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke said last week about Jokić’s extension.

Atlanta’s Pitch for Trae

The Hawks are another franchise that has made significant offseason changes to bolster the team around its extension-eligible star, Trae Young. Atlanta added Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard, and still has the flexibility to add another piece.

Young has about $95 million left over two years, but could sign a four-year, $229 million extension that would start in 2026–27. By replacing the $49 million player option that year, Young would effectively have a five-year, $275 million deal.

Around the NBA

Several other players are also available for extensions, including Suns star Devin Booker, who NBA insider Marc Stein reported is in talks on a two-year, $150 million extension [[link removed]] ($75 million average annual value). The deal would keep him in Phoenix until the 2029–30 season.

Other notable extension candidates include:

Kevin Durant, Rockets: The recently traded forward [[link removed]] is eligible to sign a two-year, $111 million extension, though the trade can only be finalized by July 6. Luka Dončić, Lakers: If the 26-year-old waits until Aug. 2, he can choose to sign for three years, $165 million, or four years, $229 million. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander’s championship running mates are both eligible for rookie-scale max extensions worth close to $250 million over five years.

Aside from Gilgeous-Alexander, the players who have already agreed to extensions include Kyrie Irving [[link removed]] (three years, $119 million) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (five years, $240 million). Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, the team announced Tuesday, a day after news of his extension, that Jackson suffered a turf toe injury that will require a procedure to repair.

NHL to Rejoin Olympic Ice in Milan—and NBC Set to Cash In [[link removed]]

Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

NHL players will officially return to the Olympics next year for the first time since 2014, after the league and the International Ice Hockey Federation finalized a long-anticipated agreement [[link removed]] on Wednesday.

The deal is only for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, but it builds momentum for likely NHL player participation in the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in the French Alps, too.

Even before the announcement, all 12 national ice hockey federations preparing to compete in the Olympics had already revealed the initial six players proposed to their preliminary rosters for the men’s ice hockey tournament.

Those 12 teams had also already been divided into three groups for Olympic play:

Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, and France Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy Group C: United States, Germany, Latvia, Denmark

Instead of an all-star game next season, the NHL will hold an international event [[link removed]] that will kick off the Olympic break. Details of that event at UBS Arena on Long Island are to be determined.

Watch Party

The NHL’s Olympic return will come one year after the league found incredible success [[link removed]] around the debut of the 4 Nations Face-Off, which pitted teams from the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Sweden against each other.

ESPN and TNT Sports were the U.S. broadcasters that benefited from the 4 Nations Face-Off, but it will be former NHL media-rights holder NBC Sports that cashes in on the new-look Olympic hockey.

Looking even further down the road beyond the 2026 and 2030 Olympics, Salt Lake City—which just got an NHL franchise this past season—will host the 2034 Winter Games.

SPONSORED BY ATLASSIAN

This is Atlassian Williams Racing

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Two powerhouse teams are joining forces for one epic goal. Atlassian is thrilled to become the Official Title Partner and Official Technology Partner of Atlassian Williams Racing [[link removed]].

This is a partnership for the ages. As many of you know, Formula One is defined by high-stakes teamwork and innovation—and both Atlassian and Williams Racing were founded on those same principles.

For more than 20 years, Atlassian has been working alongside the highest-performing teams in the world developing and refining a System of Work for modern teams to work more effectively together. And now, in partnership with Williams and as part of a global community of F1 fans, we’re ready to turbo-charge teamwork on the racetrack.

Conversation Starters The Bucks waived and then stretched Damian Lillard’s two-year, $112.6 million deal, the most expensive use of the stretch provision in NBA history. Here are past examples [[link removed]]. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is in talks to acquire a 45% stake in the Miami Open. Check out [[link removed]] his sports portfolio, which also includes Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix. Randy Moss is expected to return to a full-time role [[link removed]] on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Moss missed the final two months of the 2024 season due to a cancer diagnosis. Editors’ Picks Rogers Takes Control of Canada’s Top Teams in MLSE Buyout [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The Canadian media giant now has an arguably unrivaled sports portfolio. WNBA Expansion Decisions Show League Prioritizes North, NBA Ties [[link removed]]by Annie Costabile [[link removed]]One player ripped the league for its geographic choices. Sportswear Stocks Rise as Trump Touts Vietnam Trade Deal [[link removed]]by Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]]Tariffs on Vietnam imports will be 20%, down from a prior threat of 46%. Question of the Day

Do you think WNBA players deserve to be paid three times what they make now, commensurate with the league's coming media rights deals?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: 56% of respondents said they’ll still watch Wimbledon even after Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were eliminated.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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