Las Vegas Aces’ quest to repeat started with retaining A’ja Wilson. Here’s how they did it

But with a new CBA and higher salaries on the line, there are more complications, and there’s more at stake in this new era when it comes to creating a champion team.

With players secured, Las Vegas could pivot toward managing the roster under the constraints of a new salary cap. Not only did the cap increase nearly five-fold from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026, but players could now earn a larger share of the cap. The supermaximum salary now accounts for 20 percent of the salary cap, compared to less than 17 percent a year ago. The standard maximum salary is currently 17 percent of the cap.

That distinction was of particular interest to the Aces, one of the few teams to have multiple players who merit a max contract. Wilson, Young and Gray had all been playing on extensions below the max during the 2025 season. They were all due for raises, both in total salary and how much of the cap they could command.

Young ended up signing for a one-year maximum deal worth $1.19 million, less than a potential supermax, while Gray agreed to a three-year deal starting at $1 million with 5 percent raises.

No one took advantage of the opportunity more than Wilson, who signed a three-year supermaximum contract that is worth 20 percent of the cap during each year of the deal, per sources with knowledge of the contract. If the cap rises as much as possible through 2028, Wilson’s deal — which starts at $1.4 million in 2026 — could pay her more than $4.7 million total over three seasons. At the time of signing, it was the richest contract in WNBA history.

“We really capitalized on the platform that we have, and there’s nothing better than a room full of women that has one goal, and they want to make sure they obtain it,” Wilson said at media day about the work of the WNBPA in CBA negotiations. “This is just the beginning. I don’t want us to be satisfied in this. At the same time, I’m happy, I’m blessed, and I’m pleased about the work that we’ve put in, but it was due. It’s our time, and so I’m greedy, and I want a little bit more for us. And I don’t really care who has anything to say about that.”

Wilson’s contract is unique — it’s called a “floating” supermax — in that it is specifically tied to how much revenue the league brings in. Unlike previous CBAs that had a fixed salary cap for each year of the agreement, the current CBA only prescribed a salary cap for 2026. The cap for every season beyond this one for the rest of the eight-year term will be dictated by the business of the WNBA; the only aspect that is fixed is how much the cap can increase or decrease each year. Because the cap is based on revenue, that means players’ salaries can also grow with revenue.

The Aces center is placing a bet on the league to continue growing so that her salary increases commensurately over the next two seasons. The cap can rise by as much as 13 percent in 2027 and then another 10 percent in 2028. That is far greater than the 5 percent raises Wilson would otherwise be bound to in a standard veteran contract.

Although the unique nature of her deal creates uncertainty for Wilson, it clarifies Las Vegas’ future planning. Without knowing how much revenue will rise in the coming years, the front office at least knows it has 80 percent of the cap available for the remainder of its roster. In a sense, the three-year contracts that Gray and Loyd signed create more ambiguity on the cap sheet because it’s unclear what percent of the cap they take.

The Aces understand the value of their star talent. The only players on three-year deals are Wilson, Gray and Loyd. The priority is to maintain the core and flexibility to retain Young next offseason rather than lock into long-term commitments with role players, even as the front office tries to maintain continuity.

“There is loyalty on both sides here, where there are players that feel loyal to us and obviously, the organization has loyalty to them as well,” Fargas said. “We wanted to make sure that we have a stable core of players, not too much movement because they understand our culture.”

As a result, the majority of Las Vegas’ roster chose to return despite coming off a championship and likely being able to command a higher salary elsewhere. Consider that Megan Gustafson, who averaged 10 minutes in the playoffs, signed for $500,000 in Portland. That is more than every non-All-Star will make on the 2026 Aces, including Smith, a starter for the defending champs.

“I get that we have great players and people want to be anywhere and everywhere in this league, if they really wanted to,” Wilson said. “I’m thankful to be able to be a part of a franchise that people want to be a part of. People want to make history. People want to be a part of this legendary run that we’ve been on.”

That legendary run now includes a historic payday that directly takes advantage of the new gains of the CBA.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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