Sources: New WNBA proposal includes housing for players in '26 - ESPN

The WNBA submitted a new collective bargaining agreement proposal on Friday that would guarantee housing for all players in 2026 before it is phased out for subsequent years of the deal, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

Friday's counterproposal came three days after the Women's National Basketball Players Association responded to the league's previous proposal, a flurry of negotiation following a six-week stalemate and with the league's May 8 regular-season start date approaching.

Under the league's new proposal, after 2026, players on their applicable minimum salary and those with zero years of service would be provided a one-bedroom apartment in 2027 and 2028 only. Developmental players would be provided studio apartments for the entirety of the deal.

WNBA teams have been required to provide housing for players since the first CBA was ratified in 1999. In the last agreement, teams could provide housing in the form of a one-bedroom apartment or a stipend.

Prior to February, the league had not included any housing provisions in its proposals amid these negotiations. In the WNBPA's proposal from earlier this week, the players union suggested teams continue to provide housing to players in the first several years of the new agreement, but that in later years, teams would no longer be obligated to provide housing for players making close to the maximum salary on multiyear deals and receiving full salary protection, a source said.

While there's been movement from both sides on the issue of housing, the league and union still appear to be far apart on revenue sharing: The WNBPA's proposal from earlier this week asked for an average of 27.5% of gross revenue, defined as revenue before deducting expenses, over the course of the