For years, the WNBA has been viewed as an underappreciated league, largely because of low player salaries compared to the NBA, a concern frequently raised by its biggest stars. The rise of NIL deals has only widened that gap, with some college athletes now earning more by staying in school than by turning pro and joining the WNBA. Against that backdrop, Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban has proposed a potential solution to help address the league’s ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement issues.
Mark Cuban Suggests a Solution to WNBA’s CBA Problem
As of Jan. 9, 2026, the WNBA’s 2020 CBA has expired. This means the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association(WNBPA) can now work on a new agreement to increase players’ payrolls. However, it appears that things aren’t looking good for the players.
Sources reported that, as of this February, the WNBPA has proposed increasing its average salary by 3 times. However, the association is counter-offering with an average salary of $540,000. While the association’s current proposal is well above the previous average salary of $102,249, it’s still lower than the WNBPA’s proposal.
Mavericks minority owner Cuban weighed in on the situation and made a proposal of his own. Cuban went on X to pitch an idea that would work both for the league and the players. He suggested that the WNBA should consider the NIL scheme as a substitute.
“Let WNBA teams pay ‘NIL’ money to its players,” Cuban wrote. “It’s counterintuitive for NBA folks, but here is the issue. WNBA teams don’t have the margin dollars from tickets, sponsors, and shared revenues like TV to pay bigger salaries using their own cash flow.”
“With help from the league, they could create NIL deals with sponsors that go directly to the players,” Cuban continued. “From the sponsors. Make it legal. Create a cap per player, based on years of experience.”
Cuban then subtly hinted that if the WNBA were to approach him on “Shark Tank”, the reality TV show where entrepreneurs like Mark make business ideas come to fruition, he would help implement his idea to make NIL tactics happen.
“Obviously, I’m just spitballing this, but if they came on Shark Tank, that’s what I would suggest,” Cuban concluded.
The crazy part, is that no matter what the WNBA does with salaries, every star college player will take a pay cut to play in the WNBA
I asked a few ADs what the going rate is for the star player on a power conference WBB team -$500k to $1.2m.
And, you are always a free agent… https://t.co/kQnpATqSAc
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 18, 2026
Sources reported that while the league and players’ association haven’t yet agreed on a new CBA, the previous agreement will remain in effect.
