The Dallas Wings have their new franchise cornerstone, selecting sharpshooting guard Azzi Fudd with the first overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Her arrival isn't just a major basketball move—it's a historic financial moment, thanks to the league's new collective bargaining agreement.

Fudd is set to earn a rookie-scale contract worth $500,000 for the 2026 season, a figure that dwarfs previous rookie deals. By the final year of her contract, her base salary will climb to $646,360. To put this in perspective, the 2025 No. 1 pick, Paige Bueckers, earned $78,831 as a rookie, and the league's supermax salary that same year was $249,244. Fudd's starting salary alone is more than double the previous supermax, highlighting the seismic shift in player compensation.

This windfall for rookies is a direct result of the landmark CBA agreed upon in March 2026, which ended a lengthy labor dispute. The agreement established the WNBA's first comprehensive revenue-sharing model and secured major financial gains, including fully guaranteed contracts for all first-round selections.

Beyond the guaranteed money, the new CBA also creates a fast track for superstars. Through the "EPIC" provision (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract), players on rookie deals can renegotiate for a max or even a supermax extension in their fourth year. To qualify, a player must earn an All-WNBA Team selection within their first three seasons for the max, or an MVP award for the supermax. Recent history shows it's an achievable bar: Caitlin Clark made First Team All-WNBA as a rookie in 2024, and Aliyah Boston earned Second Team honors in 2025.

For Azzi Fudd and the Dallas Wings, the future is now—and it's more lucrative than ever. Her rookie contract is a testament to the WNBA's growth and sets a new financial standard for the next generation of stars.