CBA uncertainty leaves Valkyries players facing unsettled offseason

"OAKLAND - The Golden State Valkyries finished perhaps the greatest season from an expansion team in league history, shattering attendance records and making a spirited playoff push that galvanized the fan base. But as the offseason begins, the franchise enters uncharted territory not because of anything it can control, but because of what's happening at the negotiating table. As the Oct. 31 deadline nears, the league and the players' union have yet to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. Questions about roster rules, salary structures, free agency and a possible lockout loom over the Valkyries as they go into the offseason."

"I truly don't know how things are going to go. Everything is going to be up in the air, Valkyries center Temi Fagbenle, who is also one of the Valkyries' union representatives, said during Thursday's exit interviews. We have two more teams coming, so then we're going to have to have another expansion draft with protections and all of that. So who knows how things are going to go. Everyone is up for grabs. Fagbenle reiterated that the players want to negotiate a CBA that gives them what they deserve. It's just a fair treatment, you know, a fair piece of what we're owed and what we deserve, she said. We are the business at the end of the day. You know, without the players, you don't have the business."

The Golden State Valkyries set attendance records and won 23 games in their inaugural 2025 season, the most wins by an expansion team, and reached the playoffs. The team lost 75-74 to the Minnesota Lynx in Game 2, ending the season. Collective bargaining negotiations between the league and the players' union remain unresolved as the Oct. 31 deadline approaches. Uncertainty surrounds roster rules, salary structures, free agency and a potential lockout, complicating offseason planning. Two new teams will require another expansion draft and player protection decisions. Players represented by Temi Fagbenle seek fair treatment and a larger share of revenues.

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