Free Agency 2026

Season 30 is officially here and ushering in a significant shift across the league, so let’s dive into decoding the terminology and principles behind that shift. The language of the collective bargaining agreement and the offseason can be complex. By breaking it down, we can cultivate a better appreciation of what the free agency period entails. 

With the 2026 league calendar now underway, it’s important to note the different types of Free Agents and their accompanying important dates. 

2026 Key dates to know: 

• April 6-7: Designation Period (Qualifying Offers and Core Player Designations must be sent) 

• April 8-10: Negotiation Period 

• April 11: Signings may commence 

Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) 

A UFA is a player who can negotiate with any team during the free agency period without hindrance. 

Restricted Free Agents (RFA) 

An RFA is a player with four years of service whose contract has expired and who receives a qualifying offer from their previous team. 

A player who is out of contract and has four years of service in the WNBA (coming off their fourth-year team option in a Rookie Scale contract, or otherwise), the team can send a Restricted Qualifying Offer to the player. If the team decides not to offer a Qualifying Offer (QO), the player will be an Unrestricted Free Agent. 

RFAs can negotiate an offer sheet with a team other than their last team. However, that player’s prior team has a “Right of First Refusal” (the team can match the offer sheet). If the team matches the offer sheet, the player is deemed to have signed a contract with the original team on the terms agreed upon in the offer sheet. 

(Offer sheets must be for a multi-year contract.) 

Reserved Players 

Any player who is out of contract with three years of service or fewer will become a Reserved Player if their previous team extends them a Reserved Qualifying Offer and thus would be subject to that team’s exclusive negotiating rights. 

If the club declines to offer the player a contract, they will become a UFA. 

Core Players 

You’ve probably heard of the term “Coring a Player,” think of it almost as the WNBA’s version of a franchise tag. An organization can, at maximum, have one veteran free agent whom they have cored on their roster at any one time. 

A Core Qualifying Offer is a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth the supermax that both UFA and RFA’s are eligible for.  

If a player receives a Core Designation, the team that designates them as such is the only team with which a player can sign or negotiate a contract during the free agency period. But the team and player can still negotiate a move elsewhere via a sign-and-trade agreement if both parties desire. 

The number of standard players that any team can roster is 12, while each team can have two developmental players. If a team is below 12 standard players during the regular season, they have 72 hours from the date of the roster move that sets them below to fill out the roster. However, certain exceptions granted by the league can allow a team to exceed 12 standard players. 

As free agency and the off-season simultaneously heat up, it’s worth keeping these essential rules and principles in mind! 

Be sure to keep up with all signings, moves, and news with us as it unfolds!