The WNBA payroll landscape changed dramatically in 2026 following the league’s historic collective bargaining agreement.
With team salary caps increasing to approximately $7 million, franchises across the league are spending heavily to build championship-caliber rosters. Teams like the New York Liberty, Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces are operating near the cap ceiling, while others are prioritizing long-term flexibility and future cap space.
Below, we break down the latest WNBA payroll rankings for 2026, including team salary cap figures, cap space, biggest spenders and year-over-year roster spending across women’s basketball.
Want to watch the WNBA’s biggest stars and highest-spending teams in action? DIRECTV carries WNBA games all season long.
WNBA Payrolls Quick Facts (2026):
- 2026 Salary Cap: $7 million
- Biggest Spender: New York Liberty ($7.3 million)
- Most Cap Space: Washington Mystics ($5.1 million spend, $1.8 million cap space)
- League Average Payroll: $6.59 million
What Is the 2026 WNBA Salary Cap?
The WNBA salary cap increased from roughly $1.5 million in 2025 to approximately $7 million in 2026 following the league’s historic collective bargaining agreement. The increase has transformed how teams approach player compensation, roster construction and long-term cap planning across the league.
How Do WNBA Payrolls Work?
WNBA team payrolls are built through a structured salary cap system that determines how much each franchise can spend on player contracts in a given season.
Under the 2026 CBA, teams operate with a hard cap of approximately $7 million. A team’s total payroll is the sum of every active roster contract — including veteran WNBA contracts, rookie-scale deals, supermax salaries, guaranteed money, player base salary figures, performance bonuses and certain cap-related exceptions. If a team exceeds the cap, it may face luxury tax penalties and restrictions on adding new players.
Building a Roster Under the Cap
Teams construct their rosters by balancing expensive veteran and supermax contracts against cost-controlled rookie deals, deals for draft picks and players in their early years of service.
Franchises with young stars on rookie-scale contracts — like the Indiana Fever with Caitlin Clark — can use that cap savings to add veteran depth around them. Teams built entirely around supermax players have less flexibility to fill out the rest of the roster.
Cap Exceptions
Even teams near or over the cap have mechanisms to add players. Exceptions allow franchises to sign players at below-market rates without it fully counting against the cap ceiling, giving roster-building flexibility to contenders who have already spent heavily.
Going Over the Cap
Several teams entered 2026 operating above the projected $7 million ceiling. While offseason payroll figures can fluctuate due to roster timing, non-guaranteed contracts and other cap mechanisms, teams that remain over the cap face restrictions on the types of moves they can make during the season.
For a full breakdown of individual player salaries and contract tiers, see our WNBA Salaries in 2026 guide.
What Is WNBA Cap Space?
WNBA cap space refers to the amount of money a team has available to spend beyond its current players under contract.
For example, if the WNBA salary cap is set at $7 million and a team has committed $6 million in player salaries, that franchise would have approximately $1 million in remaining cap space.
Teams with more cap space generally have greater flexibility to:
- sign free agents
- absorb contracts
- add veteran depth
- restructure their roster during the season
Meanwhile, teams operating near or above the cap often rely on salary exceptions, non-guaranteed contracts and other roster mechanisms to maintain flexibility.
WNBA Team Payrolls 2026
WNBA payroll spending increased by more than 300% league-wide after the 2026 salary cap increase.
Here are the latest WNBA payroll rankings entering the 2026 regular season, including total salaries and remaining cap space for every franchise.
Data via Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database as of May 10, 2026
| Rank (High to Low) | Team | Total Salaries | Cap Room |
| 1 | New York Liberty | $7,348,510 | -$348,510 |
| 2 | Golden State Valkyries | $7,095,219 | -$95,219 |
| 3 | Indiana Fever | $6,995,479 | $4,521 |
| 4 | Las Vegas Aces | $6,992,500 | $7,500 |
| 5 | Minnesota Lynx | $6,980,823 | $19,177 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Sparks | $6,896,350 | $103,650 |
| 7 | Chicago Sky | $6,844,199 | $155,801 |
| 8 | Dallas Wings | $6,805,213 | $194,787 |
| 9 | Atlanta Dream | $6,801,105 | $198,895 |
| 10 | Phoenix Mercury | $6,473,600 | $526,400 |
| 11 | Connecticut Sun | $6,452,347 | $547,653 |
| 12 | Toronto Tempo | $6,372,015 | $627,985 |
| 13 | Seattle Storm | $6,317,329 | $682,671 |
| 14 | Portland Fire | $5,324,899 | $1,675,101 |
| 15 | Washington Mystics | $5,161,166 | $1,838,834 |
Payroll figures are based on the Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database and may differ slightly from other public salary trackers due to roster timing, cap exceptions and guaranteed salary calculations.
Which WNBA Team Has the Highest Payroll?
The New York Liberty currently have the highest payroll in the WNBA entering the 2026 season, with total cap allocations exceeding $7.3 million according to the Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database.
Still fresh off their 2024 championship run, the Liberty pushed toward — and slightly beyond — the league’s projected $7 million salary cap in an effort to maintain one of the most talented veteran cores in the WNBA. New York’s roster is anchored by multiple supermax-level stars, including Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, giving the franchise one of the most expensive lineups in league history.
The Golden State Valkyries also exceeded the projected salary cap as the expansion franchise continued to rapidly build out its roster. Meanwhile, contenders like the Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces and Minnesota Lynx all sit near the cap ceiling as teams across the league invest heavily in their teams’ futures.
For teams like the Liberty, the strategy is clear: maximize spending around established stars while the championship window remains open.
Want a full breakdown of the league’s top earners? Check out our list of the highest-paid WNBA players in 2026, including supermax contracts and average salaries across the league.
Which WNBA Teams Have the Most Cap Space?
The Washington Mystics, Portland Fire and Seattle Storm currently have the most remaining cap space entering the 2026 season.
While the reasons vary by franchise, teams with larger amounts of cap space typically maintain greater flexibility to pursue future free agents, absorb contracts, add veteran depth or continue rebuilding around younger cores.
In contrast to teams pushing payroll limits, these organizations may prioritize long-term roster flexibility over immediate championship contention.
How Do Rookie Contracts Affect Payrolls?
Rookie contracts have become one of the most important roster-building tools in the WNBA’s expanded salary cap environment.
Even with the large increase in salaries following the agreement reached between the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, elite rookie contracts still provide teams with an opportunity to add star-level talent at below-market cost. That flexibility allows franchises to keep payroll space available for veteran stars.
The Indiana Fever are one of the best examples of this strategy. Caitlin Clark’s rookie contract scale gave the franchise additional financial flexibility to surround her with high-level veterans and build one of the league’s most expensive rosters. The Dallas Wings are in a similar position with young stars like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, whose rookie deals allow the team to invest heavily in established veterans around them.
Rookie contracts are especially important in a league where superstar salaries have surpassed $1 million annually for the first time. Players with fewer years of service on cost-controlled contracts can often build deeper rosters, retain more veteran talent and navigate the salary cap more effectively than teams built entirely around expensive veteran cores.
WNBA Payroll Changes: Year-Over-Year Breakdown
Every team saw a dramatic payroll increase entering 2026 thanks to the new CBA, but a few franchises stood out as the biggest movers.
The Golden State Valkyries posted the largest percentage jump among returning franchises, with payroll growing 451% as the expansion team rapidly built out a competitive roster from scratch. The New York Liberty were close behind at +388%, pushing past the cap ceiling to protect their championship core. The Connecticut Sun also stood out, growing payroll by 399% while still maintaining meaningful cap space — a sign of disciplined roster construction rather than pure spending.
The table below shows the full year-over-year payroll comparison for every franchise. Total payroll figures include base salaries, performance bonuses and all cap-applicable contract values for players on each franchise’s active roster.
Data via Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database as of May 10, 2026.
| Team | 2025 Payroll | 2026 Payroll | Dollar Increase | % Increase | 2026 Cap Usage | 2026 Cap Space |
| New York Liberty | $1,504,935 | $7,348,510 | +$5,843,575 | +388.3% | 105.0% | -$348,510 |
| Indiana Fever | $1,491,116 | $6,995,479 | +$5,504,363 | +369.1% | 99.9% | $4,521 |
| Minnesota Lynx | $1,508,049 | $6,980,823 | +$5,472,774 | +362.9% | 99.7% | $19,177 |
| Las Vegas Aces | $1,530,746 | $6,992,500 | +$5,461,754 | +356.8% | 99.9% | $7,500 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | $1,487,034 | $6,896,350 | +$5,409,316 | +363.8% | 98.5% | $103,650 |
| Dallas Wings | $1,518,904 | $6,805,213 | +$5,286,309 | +348.0% | 97.2% | $194,787 |
| Atlanta Dream | $1,506,483 | $6,801,105 | +$5,294,622 | +351.5% | 97.2% | $198,895 |
| Chicago Sky | $1,502,627 | $6,844,199 | +$5,341,572 | +355.5% | 97.8% | $155,801 |
| Connecticut Sun | $1,292,753 | $6,452,347 | +$5,159,594 | +399.1% | 92.2% | $547,653 |
| Phoenix Mercury | $1,506,620 | $6,473,600 | +$4,966,980 | +329.7% | 92.5% | $526,400 |
| Toronto Tempo | $0 | $6,372,015 | +$6,372,015 | N/A | 91.0% | $627,985 |
| Seattle Storm | $1,464,680 | $6,317,329 | +$4,852,649 | +331.3% | 90.2% | $682,671 |
| Golden State Valkyries | $1,287,618 | $7,095,219 | +$5,807,601 | +451.0% | 101.4% | -$95,219 |
| Portland Fire | $0 | $5,324,899 | +$5,324,899 | N/A | 76.1% | $1,675,101 |
| Washington Mystics | $1,235,882 | $5,161,166 | +$3,925,284 | +317.6% | 73.7% | $1,838,834 |
Keep Up With WNBA in 2026
The sharp rise in WNBA payrolls entering the 2026 season reflects how quickly the league’s salary cap and roster spending environment has evolved.
As multiple teams approach the salary cap limit — and in case cases exceed it — payroll strategy, roster flexibility and rookie contracts will become increasingly important factors in building championship contenders across the WNBA.
Want to watch the WNBA’s biggest stars and highest-spending teams in action? DIRECTV carries WNBA games all season long.
Frequently asked questions
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