The WNBA wants to pay players during the COVID-19 crisis, but that won’t happen unless teams make a bit of a sacrifice.
The league has asked franchises to trim their rosters down to 12 players by May 26 so players can get paid June 1, a source told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Waived players reportedly will not be paid but will receive full benefits through June 30.
For the record, teams typically have to whittle down their rosters to 12 before the regular season beings. This year’s season was scheduled to begin May 15, but the start of the season has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This isn’t necessarily a sign the league is close to a return, however. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert on Friday said the league still is considering six different scenarios for the 2020 season and feels “really good about how things are now evolving and settling” for the league amid the pandemic.
But hey, it’s progress!
