Overview
- Negotiations opened Wednesday following a two-day designation period, with signings allowed Saturday and training camps set for April 19 ahead of a May 8 season start.
- A core tag gives a team the sole right to negotiate with a player and carries a fully guaranteed one-year supermax of about $1.4 million, with sign-and-trade still possible under agreed terms.
- High-profile core designations include Sabrina Ionescu (Liberty), Napheesa Collier (Lynx), Kelsey Plum (Sparks), Kelsey Mitchell (Fever), Arike Ogunbowale (Wings), Ezi Magbegor (Storm), Allisha Gray (Dream) and Ariel Atkins (Sky).
- The expansion teams also used cores, with Toronto tagging Marina Mabrey and Portland tagging Bridget Carleton to anchor their new rosters after last week’s draft.
- Under the new CBA, the team cap rises to about $7 million and minimums increase, pushing clubs to deploy core, restricted, and reserved offers quickly, while moves like Angel Reese’s trade to Atlanta earlier in the week further shaped the market.