Every WNBA Player Who Has Signed a Million-Dollar Deal in 2026
It's a great time to be a WNBA fan this year. But it's an even better time to be a WNBA player, given the much-upgraded perks and benefits of the new collective bargaining agreement.
The WNBPA and the league negotiated a new CBA last month that gives players a significant bump in salaries, among other wins for the players. That means that in 2026, for the first time in league history, there will be million-dollar players hooping on the court.
The first of those to agree to a new contract was Aces' Jackie Young, who re-signed with the defending champs during a hectic WNBA free agency. The rest quickly followed, with more than 20 players inking million-dollar deals with either their original teams or getting their bag with a new one.
Here's that running list, updated as of Wednesday (all details are courtesy of Spotrac):
| WNBA Player | Team | Contract | Average Annual Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelsey Mitchell | Fever | One-year supermax | $1,400,000 |
| Ezi Magbegor | Storm | Three years | $1,250,000 |
| Bridget Carleton | Fire | Three years | $1,249,500 |
| Alanna Smith | Wings | Three years | $1,249,500 |
| Gabby Williams | Valkyries | Three years | $1,249,500 |
| Allisha Gray | Dream | Three years | $1,233,333 |
| Kahleah Copper | Mercury | Two years | $1,230,000 |
| Arike Ogunbowale | Wings | Two years | $1,219,750 |
| Courtney Williams | Lynx | Two years | $1,219,750 |
| Kayla McBride | Lynx | Two years | $1,219,750 |
| Marina Mabrey | Tempo | Two years | $1,200,000 |
| Alyssa Thomas | Mercury | Three years | $1,200,000 |
| Jackie Young | Aces | One year | $1,190,000 |
| Brittney Griner | Sun | One year | $1,190,000 |
| Brittney Sykes | Tempo | Two years | $1,190,000 |
| Shakira Austin | Mystics | Three years | $1,190,000 |
| Ariel Atkins | Sparks | Three years | $1,139,000 |
| Dearica Hamby | Sparks | Three years | $1,133,333 |
| Rhyne Howard | Dream | Three years | $1,125,000 |
| Chelsea Gray | Aces | Three years | $1,050,000 |
| Azurá Stevens | Wings | Three years | $1,050,000 |
| Jessica Shephard | Wings | Two years | $1,025,000 |
| Brionna Jones | Dream | Three years | $1,025,000 |
| Kennedy Burke | Sun | One year | $1,000,000 |
| Temi Fagbenle | Tempo | One year | $1,000,000 |
A shout out to Kelsey Plum, who took less than the max-a $999,999 deal-to return to the Sparks and help the organization build a better roster. (Why is it one dollar shy of a million? No one really knows, but Plum seems happy about it.) Valkyries' Veronica Burton, Sparks' Nneka Ogwumike and Sky's Skylar Diggins also signed respective deals that came just short of a milly.
Fever's Kelsey Mitchell is the only player to have inked a supermax deal at the time of this writing. Supermax contracts, which make up 20% of the W's increased $7 million salary cap, were put in place to reward elite veterans as well as incentivize player loyalty. The 2026 supermax ($1.4 million) is up more than four times the amount in the previous CBA ($250,000) and has a few eligibility requirements: it can be offered to players with at least five years of service as long as they have been selected to the All-WNBA's first or second teams, or if they have won an MVP or Defensive Player of the Year in the past three seasons.
Who else is up for a supermax in 2026?
Last year, four players received supermax deals: Mitchell, Aces' Jewell Loyd, Mercury's Kahleah Copper and Wings' Arike Ogunbowale. All four of those players have since remained with their teams.
This year, a growing number of the league's biggest stars are expected to make bank. Four-time MVP A'ja Wilson is reportedly expected to received a supermax extension soon. Liberty's Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu are also eligible for the supermax, though New York will have to figure out a way to get all their stars (including newly acquired Satou Sabally) under the salary cap, which means some vets may have to take a pay cut. Lynx's Napheesa Collier, who's currently recovering from ankle surgery, is expected to command a supermax contract as well.
When will Caitlin Clark be eligible for a max contract?
With the league's old guard getting their well-deserved salary bumps, when could Caitlin Clark and the next generation of stars take home their own massive deals?
To use Clark as an example, she was taken by the Fever as the No. 1 pick in 2024 and earned just $76,355 and $78,066 in her first and second years in the W as part of her rookie deal. (How a few years can make all the difference: this year's No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd will earn a $500,000 fully guaranteed contract on the Wings).
Thanks to the new CBA, Clark is set to make a little over half a million in 2026-roughly $530,00, according to ESPN. As for when she's eligible to sign a max deal, the Fever superstar can ink one in her fourth year, since she earned an All-WNBA nod within her first three years, based on the terms of the EPIC (exceptional players on initial contracts) provision.
After 2026, Clark can net the projected max of $1.3 million in 2027, and the projected supermax of $1.7 million in 2028. If she wins WNBA MVP next season, she would immediately be eligible for a supermax extension.
More WNBA from Sports Illustrated
- 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year Odds (Azzi Fudd Favored; Olivia Miles, Flau'jae Johnson Are Interesting Bets)
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. Gushes Over Sister Gabriela's Awesome Week After UCLA Title, WNBA Draft
- Why Caitlin Clark Might Want to Apologize to Raven Johnson, Who the Fever Took No. 10 in the WNBA Draft
- Valkyries GM Raises More Questions Than Answers With Mid-Draft Flau'jae Johnson Trade
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Every WNBA Player Who Has Signed a Million-Dollar Deal in 2026.
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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 12:52 PM.