WNBA 2026 Pay Raise Tracker: Every Confirmed Salary Increase Under the New CBA

With the WNBA's 2026 CBA officially in effect, the league's most consequential free agency period in history unfolded over a single weekend. The salary cap jumped from $1.5M to $7M -- a 367% increase -- and contracts previously unimaginable became standard. RotoWire tracked every confirmed signing and verified each prior salary individually against Spotrac player contract pages. The results reveal raises at every level. 

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard received the largest percentage raise in the entire class at +1,389%, going from $75,556 to $1.125M. Minnesota Lynx center Napheesa Collier saw the biggest dollar gain at +$1.22M. Even players at the league minimum jumped +309-320%. Of 105 confirmed signings, 30+ players will earn $1M+ in 2026 — a number that was zero in 2025.

Also: WNBA's New CBA Explained.

The Hidden Raises  

When it comes to the WNBA players that'll benefit the most, salary wise, by the league's new CBA, top tier names like A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces or Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx aren't at the top of the list.  

That's because the players that'll see the biggest jump in pay are veterans that were underpaid in past years, such as Rhyne Howard, who saw her pay scale go from $75,556 to $1.1 million in her new three-year, $3.375 million deal with the Atlanta Dream, representing a staggering 1,389% increase, year-over-year.  

The other top movers under the league's new CBA are fellow veterans like Jessica Shepard of the Dallas Wings (+1,200.2%) and Naz Hillmon of the Dream (+1,180.3%), with both going from earning lower salary scales ($78,831 for Shepard and $66,390 for Hillmon) to deals of $1 million and $840,000 in 2026.  

Both players' new deals in Dallas and Atlanta tell the story of the WNBA's veteran level that's been criminally underpaid for years, with this year's new salary structure serving as the opening salvo in what should be an ongoing course correction, pay scale wise.  

The Rising Tide 

Overall, our study found that more than 20 WNBA players went from earning the league's minimum salary of $66,079 to the new scale, which ranges from $270,000 -to-$277,000, representing anywhere from a 309%-to-320% surge overall.  

One such member of that crew is Hillmon, who is joined by the likes Olivia Nelson-Ododa (+980.7% from $66,390 to $735,000) and Jade Melbourne (+644.1% from $67,192 to $500,000) in the former league minimum level of players that are cashing in (literally) on the new scale.  

The Kelsey Plum Discount 

One WNBA star that notably did not cash in fully on their new "supermax" talent was Kelsey Plum of the Los Angeles Sparks, who took just under a half-million less in pay ($999,999, instead of the $1.4 million 'supermax' level) to help the team's salary cap situation.  

In our study, Plum was the only WNBA player to take less than she was eligible for, speaking of the selfless nature that's allowed the veteran of 278 WNBA games to become a four-time All-Star and two-time league champion.  

Bookmark our WNBA projections tool before the 2026 season tips off.

Satou Sabally's Move 

Perhaps the biggest WNBA free agency news, at least from a salary perspective, was the deal that former Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally signed with the New York Liberty, taking her from $215,000 to $1.25 million with her new employer.  

That new deal with New York represented a 481% increase in pay for the seventh year veteran, while earning her the honor of being the weekend's biggest free agent movement story, as the three-time All-Star looks to show her All-Star campaign in her lone season in Phoenix wasn't a fluke.  

Even the Stars Were Underpaid 

Among the WNBA's top movers, salary wise, under the league's new CBA is perhaps the league's brightest star, as defending MVP A'ja Wilson's new 'supermax' deal with the Las Vegas Aces, while representing a 600% jump from what she earned, speaks further to how poorly paid the league's players were under the old system.  

Wilson, who has revolutionized modern women's basketball by winning three WNBA MVPs (and Defensive Player of the Year honors) in the last four years, was still only making $200,000 during her title-winning campaign in 2025.  

Now, the former top pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft out of South Carolina will earn the "supermax" level of $1.4 million, though the league's new CBA exposed how dramatically the league's players (and stars) were under the old system and how much ground there is to gain, even now.  

For now, at least the WNBA's latest CBA represents a step in the right direction towards paying the players what owners owe them, while keeping the gates open as the league gets ready to tip off its 30th season of basketball this summer across the U.S. and Toronto.  

Methodology 

New AAV figures sourced from Spotrac.com as of April 13, 2026. Prior AAV individually verified via each player's Spotrac contract history page -- not bulk file estimates. Percentage increase = (New AAV − Prior AAV) / Prior AAV. Players signing their first WNBA contract (internationals, 2025–26 draft picks who never appeared in the WNBA) are included with new contract noted but excluded from percentage calculations as no prior salary baseline exists. Multi-team players use most recent prior AAV as baseline.