Azzi Fudd's Contract Details After Wings Pick UConn Star No. 1 in 2026 WNBA Draft

UConn star Azzi Fudd didn't have a hand in the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement, but she's about to reap the windfall.

Fudd is part of the first rookie class that will be fully covered under the recently signed CBA. They're some of the biggest beneficiaries with salaries skyrocketing across the board.

As the No. 1 overall pick, Fudd will earn $500,000 in the 2026 season.

Here's the full breakdown, according to the rookie wage scale provided by Front Office Sports' Annie Costabile:

Azzi Fudd Rookie Contract

• 2026: $500,000
• 2027: $520,000
• 2028: $572,000
• 2029: $646,360

To provide some context for the WNBA's new salary cap reality, Paige Bueckers' original contract as the No. 1 pick in 2025 totaled $348,198 over the four-year term, less than Fudd's first-year earnings.

Rookie contracts that started under the old CBA have at least been amended to reflect the league's increased revenue. Bueckers is set to make $500,000 in her second season.

Fudd will also have the opportunity to play her way into a big payday a year earlier than planned.

The WNBA and Women's National Basketball Players Association agreed to a new Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract (EPIC) stipulation. A player who makes an All-WNBA team within their first three years is eligible to negotiate a new salary in their fourth year that can rise as high as the max. They can command the supermax if they win an MVP.

In her final two years at UConn, Fudd averaged 15.5 points per game and was a 44.2 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

The 5'11" guard may not grow into the franchise cornerstones that Bueckers and Caitlin Clark are for the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever, respectively. Bleacher Report's Hunter Cruse compared her instead to sharpshooter Allie Quigley.

Quigley was a three-time All-Star and would've had an even more decorated WNBA career if the league prioritized floor-spacing as early as the NBA did.

Fudd's shooting prowess will take her a long way. Depending on how early that clicks at the next level, she might even get the All-WNBA nod that triggers the EPIC provision.