The agents for the WNBA's biggest stars are now involved in tense labor talks. With a deadline looming, representatives for Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and A'ja Wilson have sent a letter to the players' union, hoping to help broker a deal for the first time in WNBA history.

She wrote on Threads, "The letter was signed by nine prominent player agents, including Lindsay Kagawa Colas ( Breanna Stewart, Paige Beuckers); Jade li-English (A’ja Wilson); Erin Kane (Caitlin Clark), Gina Paradiso (Angel Reese); Boris Leilchinski (Dominique Malonga) and Ticha Penicheiro (Kayla McBride)."

This update comes in light of a virtual meeting between the league and the players' association earlier this week, which did not end positively. So these agents are working to help find a deal that could speed things up, especially with a March 10th deadline.

The message from players was clear. They want “transparency and better communication during these negotiations.” They also requested access to review the league’s current proposal and the survey being sent to players. 

Shelburne clarified the same by saying, "I’m told not to infer anyone’s intentions about striking or not striking from the letter. It was more of an effort to include player agents in the final stages of CBA negotiations — as is historically common."

Simply put, they want a seat at the table. So does all this signal division within the union? Not necessarily.

How Did the Union Respond?

Just before the agents’ letter was sent, the union had already emailed agents offering to meet with them, explain the negotiations, and answer questions. The union also plans to send players a survey regarding the league’s latest proposal.

But that is not all the union did. On Friday evening, it submitted a new counterproposal to the league, including concessions on revenue sharing and housing benefits.

Under the revised proposal, players are now seeking 26% of gross revenue over the life of the agreement, with a $9.5 million salary cap in Year 1. That marks a reduction from the previous 27.5% demand outlined in the union’s February 17 proposal. 

So….will these concessions be enough to reach a deal finally?

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Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar