Each of the three newest expansion teams joins the league paying a record $250 million expansion fee. The new Golden State expansion team has been an immediate success and is now worth over $500 million, according to Sportico, after paying just a $50 million expansion fee to enter the league. That’s a WNBA-record valuation, and the union knows it.

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart told reporters on Friday that the players' meeting with the league to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday was a "wasted opportunity" and that there was "not really" any progress made.

Breanna Stewart and other WNBA players in Indianapolis for All-Star weekend characterized Thursday's meeting with commissioner Cathy Engelbert and ownership representatives as a "wasted opportunity."