‘We’re not fighting for anything unreasonable’: Valkyries speak out on ongoing CBA negotiations

SAN FRANCISCO Following the Valkyries - win over the Connecticut Sun Tiffany Hayes and Kayla Thornton addressed the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations between the WNBA Players Association and the league in statements made to the media prior to their postgame news conference We remain committed to negotiating the next CBA with the league in good faith and in private Thornton revealed But we do want to set the record straight not for the headlines but for the fans to advocacy us and who deserve transparency about what s at stake Hayes continued This is a defining moment for the WNBA as the league grows it s time for a CBA that will affect our true values We re fighting for a fair share of the business that we build It s business We re not fighting for anything unreasonable Hayes and Thornton joined Indiana Fever guards Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham as players who gave community statements regarding the current CBA negotiations on Sunday Last year the WNBA Players Association opted out of its CBA that would have run through and the deal will now end after this year Front Office Sports communicated that statements were made on Sunday because the players union is hoping to make headway on a new deal near the All-Star meeting which is set to take place in Indianapolis on July Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase commented she was supportive of the players through these negotiations A huge reason why I longed to work in the W was to see how I can help how I can impact Nakase explained As this league is growing I want to help too I want to do whatever it takes to get what they want and to get what they deserve So I m supporting them Last year the WNBA reached an agreement for a new billion media rights deal The record-breaking agreement with ESPN NBC and Amazon could give way for higher wages in the league According to Spotrac Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young has the highest average annual value at Among the multiple things the players are bargaining for among them is to expand roster sizes Under the current CBA teams can sign up to players and must keep a minimum of As this league expands I think there should be more spots Thornton reported There s a lot of great players out there Nakase added There s so various players out there that deserve it that can play in this league and that can contribute So I think yeah that would definitely be a plus especially with injuries I think is just a little bit too less right now The Golden State Valkyries bench celebrates a basket and foul by Golden State Valkyries' Kaitlyn Chen against the Connecticut Sun in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Sunday June Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group Chen measures in for Leite French rookie Carla Leite was a surprising healthy scratch from Sunday s win as she was the only participant to not have checked into the match Leite played minutes in the Valkyries win over the Indiana Fever on Thursday and was not on the injury list leading up to Sunday She was seen warming up just over an hour before tipoff When required why Leite did not play Nakase announced I just sought to give Kaitlyn Chen an opportunity Chen made the preponderance of her nearly minutes of play The former UConn star scored five points and controlled the pace for the Valkyries in her WNBA debut She was assessed a technical foul in the fourth quarter after elbowing Connecticut guard Haley Peters in the face I love seeing Kaitlyn flourish Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes revealed I ve seen her hard work in practice and she just comes in and gives whatever we need from her Golden State Valkyries' Kaitlyn Chen celebrates a basket and foul on Golden State Valkyries' Stephanie Talbot against the Connecticut Sun in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Sunday June Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group Related Articles Kayla Thornton shines as Valkyries crush Connecticut Sun The rotation puzzle How Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase is finding the right lineups through constant roster change Valkyries veteran Tiffany Hayes embraces mentorship role in Bay Area She plays with no fear Valkyries forward Laeticia Amihere makes situation for roster spot Valkyries fever upstages the Caitlin Clark experience at Chase Center Talbot bounces back It s been a tough start to the year for Valkyries forward Stephanie Talbot The six-year Australian forward has struggled to find her -point shot after missing preponderance of training camp and Golden State s season opener But on Sunday she ascertained a way to contribute Talbot scored six points on -of- shooting and grabbed rebounds in minutes She had a plus-minus rating of when she was on the floor her highest of the season That was big for us getting us extra possessions Hayes announced of Talbot She s consistently in the gym working hard so I m glad to see her hard work