As Caitlin Clark becomes the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft tonight, the terms of her working conditions and salary for the next four years or more have already been negotiated for her.
And while they aren’t NBA dollars, she’ll do just fine as a rook in the W.
2024 WNBA No. 1-4 Picks Salary Scale
Year 1: $76,535
Year 2: $78,066
Year 3: $85,873
Year 4 (team option): $97,582
The Fever will have from the end of the 2025 season until May 15, 2026 to pick up Clark’s 4th-year option. Barring injury or disaster expect this to happen, because it still artificially suppresses her salary from what it would be on the open market.
After her third year under contract (the 2026 season), Clark would be eligible for a WNBA “Supermax” deal that would last three additional years beyond her team option fourth season. While this could change as the current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the 2027 season, and thus Clark might be incentivized to not sign a full Supermax until she sees how the new CBA works, under the current system she would be eligible for a Year 5 (2028 season) salary of $264,423. That would come with 3% raises for the following two seasons as well.
After Year 7, Clark would either become an unrestricted free agent, or if the process still exists in a new CBA, she could be come a “cored” player where the Fever would have to offer her the Supermax for the following season. If she gets a “cored” offer, she’d be unable to sign with another team, but her salary for that season would be fully guaranteed.
How else can the Fever pay Clark?
There is a program for WNBA stars that choose not to ply their trade overseas in the offseason. The WNBA’s Player Marketing Agreement program pays pay players up to $250,000 a year to stay home and perform marketing services for companies such as Skims and Google.
While that is likely a drop in the bucket compared to what Clark will make with a wide array of companies wanting her associated with their brand, it can’t hurt to keep her around and resting or training in the US instead of chasing dollars across the globe.
What is the WNBA maximum salary?
For the 2024 season, the regular maximum salary available is $208,219, with $241,984 being the Supermax. But only players with at least four years of service time are eligible to receive those salaries. Both max salaries increase by 3% per year through the end of the 2027 season when the current CBA expires.
What is the WNBA Salary floor/cap?
Each of the 12 WNBA franchises are required to spend at least $1,224,630 in total salary in 2024. The max they can dish out is $1,463,200, and if they come up short of the floor they’ll be required to give what wasn’t paid as salary instead to the WNBA Players Union to distribute amongst that team’s players as they see fit.
