WNBA CBA deadline passes with no deal; talks underway over FA moratorium - ESPN

The WNBA and Women's National Basketball Players Association failed to agree to a new collective bargaining agreement or an extension of the previous one at Friday's 11:59 p.m. ET deadline, but both sides are expected to continue negotiations amid a bitter impasse as they work toward a transformational deal.

With the CBA now expired, the league and players union are now also discussing a proposed moratorium that would halt the initial stages of free agency in which teams would seek to deliver qualifying offers and core designations to players, sources told ESPN.

The idea of a moratorium was floated by the league a few days ago but put it in writing late Friday night, sources said, and the union is now reviewing the proposal.

WNBA front offices were told this week that teams should prepare to proceed with extending qualifying offers and core designations under the expired agreement, sources said. That would mean teams technically could offer players qualifying offers and core designations as soon as Sunday and up until Jan. 20.

It is widely expected that players would not want to sign any contracts while a new salary system with massive increases in compensation is still being bargained over. All but two of the league's veterans are free agents this offseason in anticipation of a new CBA.

With the previous deal now expired, both sides enter a period called status quo, where the working conditions of the former CBA are maintained and both sides can continue negotiating. But the expiration of the old agreement opens the door for a potential work stoppage — either a strike by the players or a lockout by the owners. The league, however, has not considered locking the players out, sources told ESPN.

The WNBPA said in a