The WNBA is investigating allegations that the defending champion Las Vegas Aces circumvented the league’s salary cap by making under-the-table payments to players, a league source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.
The news was first reported by The Next.
According to The Next, the Aces have been accused of arranging calls with potential signees, either free agents or current players negotiating extensions, in which they would be offered “a specific amount of money from a particular, pre-selected company. The work involved would be negligible.”
Such a practice would appear to be a violation of the collective bargaining agreement by getting around the league’s hard salary cap.
In addition, the Aces have been under fire in recent weeks after former player Dearica Hamby accused the organization of “unprofessional and unethical” treatment surrounding her pregnancy “that … has been traumatizing” in a social media post after her trade to the Los Angeles Sparks.
A WNBA spokesperson…
