When the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement was finalized in March, A’ja Wilson wasted little time signaling where she intended to be. The four-time MVP and three-time champion with the Las Vegas Aces committed to staying, and the contract that followed made history.
Wilson signed a three-year supermaximum deal structured at 20% of the salary cap for each year of the agreement. The contract begins at $1.4 million in 2026 and, if the cap rises to its maximum allowable ceiling through 2028, could pay her more than $4.7 million across its full term. At the time of signing, it was the largest contract in WNBA history.
The structure itself is significant. Rather than locking in a fixed salary, Wilson’s deal is what the league calls a floating supermax, meaning her earnings move in direct proportion to league revenue. The cap can grow by as much as 13% in 2027 and another 10% in 2028. That growth potential far outpaces the standard 5% annual raises available in a conventional veteran contract. Wilson is placing a deliberate bet on the league’s continued commercial expansion, and the terms reward her if that growth materializes.
What made the deal possible
The salary cap itself tells the story of how dramatically the league’s economics have shifted. Under the new CBA, the cap grew from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026, an increase of nearly five times over. The supermaximum threshold, previously less than 17% of the cap, now sits at 20%. That structural change created the conditions for a contract of Wilson’s scale to exist at all.
Her decision to stay set off a chain reaction inside the Las Vegas front office. Once Wilson’s commitment was secured, the rest of the Aces’ core followed. Jackie Young signed a one-year maximum deal worth $1.19 million. Chelsea Gray agreed to a three-year contract starting at $1 million with 5% annual raises. Jewell Loyd re-signed for $800,000. Starters NaLyssa Smith and Kierstan Bell, along with reserve Dana Evans, all returned despite likely having higher offers available elsewhere.
The front office built around a clear philosophy. Rather than managing constant roster turnover, the Aces prioritized keeping a championship-tested group intact. The strategy also gives Las Vegas unusual long-term clarity. With Wilson’s contract fixed at 20% of the cap, the franchise knows precisely what portion of its budget is committed and can plan the remainder of the roster accordingly.
Aces president Nikki Fargas described the offseason approach as centering on retention above all else, pointing to the team’s depth of experience as the foundation for another title run. The result is a roster that chose continuity over higher individual paydays, a meaningful signal about the culture the organization has built over multiple championship seasons.
A marketability debate that won’t go away
While Las Vegas was finalizing Wilson’s historic deal, a separate conversation was generating considerably more friction. Boardroom, the sports media company founded by Kevin Durant, published a ranking of the most marketable WNBA players entering the 2026 season. Wilson placed first, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers second, and Caitlin Clark third. Angel Reese was fourth.
The reaction was immediate and pointed. Fans and analysts directed attention toward a set of data points that appeared difficult to reconcile with Clark’s third-place position. Her Nike shoe deal, worth a reported $28 million, is the largest in women’s sports history. Every one of Indiana Fever’s 44 games this season will air on national television, a scheduling decision attributed directly to her commercial draw. During the 2025 season, when injuries limited her to 13 appearances, WNBA All-Star viewership fell 36% compared to the previous year. A trading card from her rookie season sold for $660,000.
The criticism was sharpened by the absence of any published methodology from Boardroom explaining how the rankings were assembled. A separate study from Covers, which built its list from a documented index incorporating search volume, brand strength, social media reach, and on-court performance, placed Clark first with a score of 83 out of 100.
Two stories, one larger picture
For Wilson, the week carried an added layer of complication. She has previously addressed suggestions that her Nike partnership was accelerated by Clark’s arrival in the league, pushing back firmly on that framing and pointing instead to her own career arc and patience. The marketability debate landed in the middle of a moment that should have been straightforwardly celebratory.
The broader picture is one the WNBA continues to navigate in real time. The league is experiencing genuine, historic growth in revenue, viewership, and commercial investment. The conversations surrounding its biggest stars, however, still produce moments that feel misaligned with the scale of what those athletes have actually built. Wilson just secured the richest contract the sport has ever seen. Clark, at 24 years old, is already reshaping what commercial viability looks like for a women’s athlete. Both facts deserve to exist without undercutting the other.
