
The franchise tags allow their teams exclusive negotiating rights and guarantee them a one-year deal at the new supermax salary, significantly higher than previous earnings.
Other players given the core designation include Kelsey Mitchell, Arike Ogunbowale, Allisha Gray, Ariel Atkins, and Ezi Magbegor.
Players can start signing contracts on Saturday, following the negotiation period that runs from Wednesday to Friday.
WNBA free agency has begun, with Sabrina Ionescu, Napheesa Collier, and Kelsey Plum receiving franchise tags worth $1.4 million. This designation grants their teams exclusive negotiating rights and a guaranteed one-year deal at the new supermax salary.
NEW YORK (AP) â New York's Sabrina Ionescu, Minnesota's Napheesa Collier and Los Angeles' Kelsey Plum were all extended franchise tags by their WNBA teams worth potentially $1.4 million as free agency opened up. By giving the âcoreâ designation to those players, their teams have exclusive negotiating rights which comes with a guaranteed one-year deal at the new supermax salary. That's more than five-times above the top salary they could earn in the last CBA. Players can negotiate different terms to help their teams sign other players to fit under the new salary cap that's expected to be around $7 million. Other players giving the âcoreâ designation include Indiana's Kelsey Mitchell, Dallas' Arike Ogunbowale, Atlanta's Allisha Gray, Chicago's Ariel Atkins and Seattle's Ezi Magbegor. Expansion franchises Portland and Toronto extended franchise tag offers to players. The Fire selected Bridget Carleton with the first pick in the draft last week and offered her the tag. The Tempo did the same for Marina Mabrey, who they took with the sixth pick. The franchise tag is a way for a team to prevent a player from leaving in free agency without getting anything in return for them. The teams and players can also negotiate doing a sign-and-trade agreement for those players. Starting in 2027, players can only be given the core designation twice and it can only be if they have less than seven years of experience in the league. Teams were also able to send out reserved and restricted qualifying offers to players during this designation period, which began Monday. Negotiations will go from Wednesday to Friday with players able to start signing Saturday. Training camp is scheduled to begin on April 19 with the first preseason games on April 25. The start of free agency was delayed until this month because of a prolonged negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement that didn't get agreed to and ratified until late March. The long form contract is still being executed by both sides. More than 80% of the leagueâs veteran players are free agents this year, as players had signed deals that expired at the end of last season to capitalize on higher salaries from the new CBA. \\\_ AP WNBA:
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