When A’ja Wilson signed a two-year contract extension with the Las Vegas Aces in June 2023, she did so by putting others first. Like a true team player, the 2x WNBA champion selflessly sacrificed some hard-earned cash just so her teammates could thrive. We are talking about how Wilson could’ve demanded $241,984 in 2023 and $249,244 in 2024 in supermax salary as a free agent, but chose to settle for $200,000 each year instead. And that very sacrifice is set to change her team’s fortunes this off-season, it seems. But before we get to that…

To give you some context: Going into the 2024-25 off-season, the team will have seven players under contract—A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kiah Stokes, Megan Gustafson, Kierstan Bell, Kate Martin. However, some key players will be missing from that list, that include, Kelsey Plum, Alysha Clark, Tiffany Hayes, Sydney Colson and Queen Egbo—all of whom will become unrestricted free agents. Plum, especially, will be an important addition for the team, with the 30-year-old averaging  20.2, 18.7 and 17.8 points and becoming an All-Star in the past three seasons. She also won her second consecutive gold at the Paris Olympics this year, and became the first basketball player (along with Young) to win 3×3 and 5-on-5 gold medals.

Additionally, Alysha Clark (who’s also WNBA’s second oldest player behind 42-year-old Diana Taurasi) has also been an invaluable team member. Named WNBA’s “preeminent superstar sidekick”, she is a two-time WNBA All-Defensive Team selection who boasts the second highest Effective Field Goal Percentage and eighth highest True Shooting Percentage in WNBA history. Hayes, on the other hand, has played in 33 of Las Vegas’ 40 regular-season games in 2024, coming off the bench a career-high 28 times and starting five games. She’s also garnered 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists this season. Hence, one thing’s for sure: The Aces are definitely going to try and retain these players—a cause furthered by Wilson’s gesture.

Talking about the same on the ‘Touch More’ podcast on October 8, WNBA icon Sue Bird added her two cents to the matter mentioning how the upcoming “off-season could be wild for them (the LV Aces).” She also mentioned one more important aspect. “The other fact is that A’ja Wilson’s salary actually drops by like 20 20 25,000,” the former Seattle Storm player said. Both Rapinoe and Bird agreed how Wilson drawing a lower income automatically increases the salary cap for incoming talent, by saying, “A little more space”. But what do the finances say?

Currently, the team has $587,925 in cap space left. Kelsey Plum will definitely be taking a major chunk off of that—$249,244 to be exact or lesser if the veteran walks the A’ja Wilson road. The remaining $338,681 leaves ample space for both Hayes and Clark be inducted if they should return.

However, the money aspect also directs toward another heartbreaking reality: How A’ja and her superstar compatriots will be getting much lesser than they deserve. Evidently, this is not the first time Wilson pointed it out…

A’ja Wilson took a dig at LeBron James’ contract

Barely a few weeks into her WNBA rookie season, A’ja Wilson was making it clear that she was one of a kind. On July 1, 2018, when news broke of LeBron James’ record-breaking free agent deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Aces player had been out to dinner with her dad.

She took out a moment to post on X, “154M ……….. must. be. nice. We over here looking for a M 🙃 but Lord, let me get back in my lane” The post blew up unexpectedly, receiving a wide variety of responses. Wilson later cleared the air, “I love LeBron,” Wilson said. “He’s worth every penny, nickel and dime, and he does good with it. I’ve got nothing against it. It’s just me, thinking about myself as a professional athlete, thinking, ‘Damn, it’s out there, how can we get it as well?’”

While Wilson clarified that she had nothing against LeBron, who she dearly calls her brother, the tweet also opened up a new line of discussion in the W. In her own rookie year, the Aces Center received an average annual salary of $58,045, while this year Caitlin Clark received $76,535, per Spotrac. It seems WNBA stars are realizing their worth, which even Joe Pomplianao agrees with.

For starters, 2024 has shown what the WNBA viewership can really be like, so players might protest the unfair paycheks. Per BetMGM, the league made $102 million in 2019 and that number is estimated to go up to around $200 million now. Moreoever, the league’s regular season attendance went up 48% in 2023 and averaged 9,807 fans per game during the 2024 season. But when will this success translate into players’ bank accounts?

“I feel like we are quickly headed to a scenario where there’s going to be a lockout in the WNBA,” Pompliano wrote on his substack. “I think the players just have a much higher perception around their dollar value worth than the league is actually worth. If you look at the WNBA, attendance, viewership, merchandise sales, everything is up. They’re making a lot more money. TV rights, everything.”

Not to mention, Kelsey Plum, Gabby Williams, and more have raised their voice to get a piece of the pie. Maybe it’s high time the WNBA took notes from MLB and the NFL and held a serious lockout over pay issues!