<\/p>\n
2026 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd<\/a> is in for a raise, as rookie salary increases show just how much the new WNBA CBA<\/a> has impacted player pay across the league.<\/p>\n The Dallas Wings selected Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick in Monday night’s WNBA Draft, making the UConn guard the latest face of a new financial era. Fudd will earn a $500,000 base salary<\/a> as a rookie \u2014 the highest first-year payday in league history.<\/p>\n The 2026 WNBA draft class will see a large salary increase under the new CBA pic.twitter.com\/28I9xGb7D8<\/a><\/p>\n — Just Women\u2019s Sports (@justwsports) April 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n That number stands out even more in context. Indiana’s Caitlin Clark made $76,535<\/a> as the No. 1 pick in 2024, while fellow Wing Paige Bueckers earned $78,831 as last year’s top pick. Fudd is now in line to make more than six times Bueckers’s rookie salary just one year later.<\/p>\n Her contract also escalates quickly. Fudd is set to make $520,000 in 2027 and $572,000 in 2028. And should Dallas exercise its team option, she could subsequently earn $646,360 in 2029.<\/p>\n The jump comes directly from the WNBA’s new CBA. The CBA raised the salary cap<\/a> from $1.5 million to $7 million while also increasing revenue share. That shift reshaped rookie scale contracts across the board, giving the 2026 WNBA Draft class<\/a> a dramatically different financial starting point.<\/p>\n However, Fudd assured reporters that she’s focusing on more than the paycheck in Dallas.<\/p>\n “I can’t wait,” Fudd said. “Obviously, Paige<\/a> (Bueckers), Arike (Ogunbowale)… I can’t wait to learn how to play with them. Learn how they play, their style of play, and how I can contribute.”<\/p>\n The rest of the class will also benefit. First-round picks are expected to take home an average of $386,000<\/a> as rookies. In comparison, last year’s first-rounders averaged roughly $75,000 per year.<\/p>\n As the No. 1 pick, Azzi Fudd enters Dallas with both heightened expectations and an unprecedented deal, broadening the WNBA’s horizon for future generations.<\/p>\n The post No. 1 WNBA Draft Pick Azzi Fudd Set for Record $500K Rookie Salary<\/a> appeared first on Just Women's Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n