New CBA Recasts Core Designations, Redrawing WNBA Free Agency
The WNBA began free agency with 10 players receiving core designations, giving their teams exclusive negotiating rights. Under the new CBA, players with six years or fewer can be core twice, but seventh-season players lose core eligibility starting next year. Each core comes with a supermax offer from the player’s home team, though terms can be negotiated lower or via sign-and-trade (max about $1.19 million). Satou Sabally was notably not cored, and several teams (Aces, Mystics, Sun, Valkyries) did not core players, raising questions about roster-building under the cap; Nneka Ogwumike’s meeting with the Lynx signals potential star movement ahead of free agency.
