Can you do that if she's an UFA?
here's what I found:
It looks like after your
7th year in the WNBA you become an unrestricted free agent.
This is
Kelsey Mitchell's 7th year in the WNBA (and with Indiana). She was the #2 overall pick in 2018, out of Ohio State. She turned 28 on Nov 12.
A team, however, can core ONE veteran free agent. Between January 1 and January 14, a core qualifying offer can be extended to any player who would otherwise become an unrestricted free agent. Like other qualifying offers, the team and player may still negotiate a contract with different terms. Core qualifying offers have an expiration date of March 7, but the core designation remains. If a player signs any contract, whether it is the qualifying offer or a negotiated contract, while under the core designation, they will be considered that team's one allowable cored player until the contract expires, is terminated, or is traded.
Once the core qualifying offer has been extended, the player may not sign a contract directly with any other team. The core designation gives the team exclusive negotiating rights with the player. The core qualifying offer is a franchise player tag WNBA teams give to a player who would otherwise hit unrestricted free agency. The qualifying offer compels the potential free agent to negotiate solely with the team that cored her. The player gets offered a guaranteed supermax salary for one year in return.
Players who have played 2 or more seasons on contracts that were signed while under the core designation may not be cored again. This means if a player is given the core designation in the 2025 preseason and negotiates a two-year contract while still under that designation, they will not be able to be cored for the remainder of their careers once the contract expires in 2027.
If the core qualifying offer is not extended or is withdrawn, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Comparing apples to apples:
Seattle drafted Breanna Stewart #1 overall out of UConn in 2016; Breanna was an
unrestricted free agent after the 2022 season. Not sure why Seattle didn't core her (maybe it wasn't an option). In January, 2023, she met with New York, Seattle, Minnesota and Washington. She ended up signing with New York and has been there since the 2023 season.
So, Breanna was with Seattle for 7 seasons (2016-2022). She did not play in the 2019 season due to an achilles injury.
Caitlin Clark's situation:
The Fever have CC's rights for 4 seasons (thru the 2027 season). She then becomes a
restricted free agent.
After the 2027 season: once a restricted qualifying offer is extended by the Fever, it makes Caitlin a restricted free agent unless the Fever decides to revoke it. Caitlin could sign that deal. However, restricted free agents are allowed to negotiate freely with any team in the WNBA including their previous team, but their previous team has what is called the 'right of first refusal.' This means that the Fever will be given the opportunity to match a contract that the restricted free agent has agreed to in principle with another team. That agreement is known as an offer sheet in the CBA. If the Fever matches the offer sheet, then Caitlin signs with the Fever at the terms offered by the other team.
So, when would Caitlin become an
unrestricted free agent? It's gonna be a while.
Not until after the 2030 season. But then the Fever could "core" her and keep her another 2 seasons (through 2032).
