With just a day left before the current agreement expires, CBA negotiation tensions are at an all-time high. And Unrivaled owner Breanna Stewart has just dropped a massive hint.

On January 7, Stewie was asked by Ballislife about her confidence as the deadline neared.

“Yeah, I mean the next three days is tough for sure. I am very confident that we will get a deal done. It’s kind of unfortunate that it’s taken this long, but hopefully we’re going to be able to turn the page soon and really kind of get deep into all the negotiations that we’ve been struggling to agree on.”

Stewart's co-owner at Unrivaled, Napheesa Collier, had a similar idea. "I do think a deal's gonna get done. We're standing firm in what we believe in. We're not going to back down, and we can't take less. The sport has just grown too much, it would be a disservice to the people who came before us, to the work that we put in, to take less than what we're owed."

So far, the WNBA has proposed an agreement. These terms include 30% of the revenue going to players and a $10.5 million cap. But that doesn't mean the players are fully ready for it.

WNBPA Executive Director has already made the players' stance clear

Players feel this structure pays them last. They want revenue sharing based on gross revenue so that everything the league and teams earn is shared before expenses are deducted.

“The players know the difference between doing business and creating clickbait,” WNBPA Executive Director Teri Jackson said in a statement to USA Today Sports earlier this week. “They are focused on the system. Despite what the league and the teams are trying to do, the players are not confused by the numbers.”

From the league’s perspective, agreeing to the union’s proposal would result in $700 million in losses, more than what the WNBA has lost in its 29 years of existence. According to the league, these figures are based on a previous audit.

So while Stewie sounded positive, the two parties still appear far apart. The six-week extension is set to expire on January 9, and the union already voted to call a strike “if necessary” last month.

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar