Indiana Fever, WNBA Teams Expected to Suffer Losses in New Proposal

The Indiana Fever completed a historic 2025 regular season with a 24–20 record, finishing third in the Eastern Conference. 

Despite losing Caitlin Clark to a season-ending groin injury in July, the team won the mid-season Commissioner's Cup and advanced to the WNBA Playoff Semifinals, where they pushed the Las Vegas Aces to a decisive Game 5 before falling 107–98 in overtime. 

Now that progress has stalled as the league faces a potential delay to the 2026 season due to a tense collective bargaining agreement dispute.

Recent ESPN reports confirm the specific figures and deal structures currently under negotiation between the WNBA and the WNBPA. Players are now asking for an average of 27.5% of gross revenue over the life of the agreement, starting at 25% in 2026. This is a decrease from their December request of 31%.

The union's proposed cap for 2026 has dropped to under $9.5 million, down from the previous $10.5 million ask. Players also proposed a phased housing arrangement.

However, while the previous December proposal was estimated to cause $700 million in losses, a source told ESPN that the new counterproposal would still result in roughly $460 million in losses over the agreement's lifetime.

WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told ESPN that the league's claims of poverty are contradictory. She noted that if the league was losing as much money as claimed, billionaires wouldn't be racing each other to pay $250 million expansion fees for new teams. She feels the league's claim of financial losses is like saying, "their pockets are empty while you're also holding the keys to a brand-new Ferrari."

Now, in a statement to ESPN, a WNBA spokesperson called the union's latest offer "unrealistic," adding, "We still need to complete two Drafts and free agency before the start of training camp and are running out of time. We believe the WNBA's proposal would result in a huge win for current players and generations to come."