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The Sporting Page

WNBA

WNBA Free Agency Opens With Qualifying Offers Jan. 30

Teams can start negotiating Feb. 4 and sign contracts beginning Feb. 16 under the new collective bargaining agreement.

By The Sporting Page Editorial Staff
Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell wears a navy team warmup.
Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell warms up before a game against Minnesota in Minneapolis on Sept. 24, 2026. · Credit: John McClellan (John Mac) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, resized)

The WNBA’s next free-agency period starts Jan. 30 with qualifying offers. Teams and players can negotiate beginning Feb. 4 and sign new deals beginning Feb. 16.

The Jan. 30–Feb. 3 window is when teams can send qualifying offers and make core designations, USA Today Sports reported. A qualifying offer can preserve a team’s rights to a restricted or reserved player. The signing date comes after the negotiation period, so terms can be discussed before contracts can be finalized.

The dates follow the new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players’ association. USA Today identified Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell, Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier and Las Vegas’ Jackie Young among the players to watch heading into the offseason.

The next leaguewide event is the draft lottery on Nov. 15. That drawing sets the top draft order, while the free-agent market opens more than two months later.

Photo by John McClellan (John Mac), CC BY-SA 4.0.