The Golden State Valkyries are marching on in the 2026 WNBA Playoffs, prevailing over the Dallas Wings in the first round before taking Game 1 of their semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces. It’s awesome to see a new team having this much success, but how they got here, and how it’s a totally different path than other WNBA powers, that’s the real story to appreciate. The way the Fever and Aces have built their squads? It simply can’t sustain under the new WNBA CBA.
The Indiana Fever’s Rookie Contract Rollercoaster
One of the go-to ways teams have been built in the WNBA has been through young stars, leveraging their rookie contracts. Those deals are downscaled even with all the young talent coming into the league, so teams with players on rookie deals get a ton of flexibility to sign other big contracts. The Indiana Fever are a prime example of this strategy. Aliyah Boston signed an EPIC extension this past offseason, a supermax-structured deal that slots her onto 20 percent of the Fever’s total cap allowance each year from 2027 to 2029, on top of a base one million dollar salary in 2026. Caitlin Clark is for sure walking into her own high-dollar EPIC extension at the end of 2027.
What does that mean for Indianapolis? They’ll have 40 percent, or even more, of their salary cap tied up in just two players. That makes it virtually impossible to roster an experienced talent like Kelsey Mitchell, who they are paying $1.4 million this season. If they thought a third star was the key to playoff success, they’d have to give up their ability to sign serviceable or desirable role players. Mitchell has already said she’s exploring options as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and it really feels unlikely she’ll be in Indianapolis at the end of Clark’s rookie deal. Here’s the kicker: the Fever’s current roster building only works because Clark is on a rookie contract. Without that financial break, they just wouldn’t be able to have such an excess of talent.
The Las Vegas Aces’ Top-Heavy Tightrope Walk
On the flip side of the Fever’s situation, you have a team like the Las Vegas Aces. Their cap situation is severely top-heavy, with three players making more than $1 million and Jewell Loyd trailing closely over at over $800,000. With a massive 62 percent of their salary cap allotted to just four players, Las Vegas has really limited its ability to bring in impactful role players. They’ve also tied up money in contracts that are, frankly, untraceable.
Chelsea Gray absolutely earned her money, no doubt about it. But a $1.1 million payout to a 14-year veteran in 2028 is going to be incredibly hard to work around, even if Gray manages to maintain her 12-point and seven-assist averages. When you factor in her age and production, that’s an almost impossible contract to move if Las Vegas decides it wants to go in a different direction. A similar story can be told about Loyd. Loyd is a 12-year veteran averaging eight points per game on below average shooting splits who will be making over $800,000 until the end of 2028. If the Aces core production around A’ja starts to…
The writing is on the wall for these traditional team-building models. The Valkyries’ success shows there’s a different way to win in this league, and it’s clear the old paths aren’t going to cut it anymore.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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