NEW YORK (AP) - WNBA teams will have to get their rosters down to 12 by next Tuesday so players can get paid starting June 1, a person familiar with the situation said.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the roster deadline had not been officially announced.
The league and the players' union are still working out details of how often players will get paid and how much. Those negotiations largely depend on the length of the season.
Players who are waived over the next week won't get paid, but they will receive benefits through June 30, the person told the AP. The WNBA offered rookies health benefits starting May 1. Veteran players receive year-round benefits.
Teams usually have to cut their rosters down to 12 before the regular season begins, which would have been last weekend. The league postponed the start of the season in early April because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cutting down the rosters isn't a sign the league is going to begin anytime soon.
On Friday, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the AP the league is focusing on about a half-dozen scenarios to play this summer. The commissioner said it was important the players got paid June 1 - the date they were scheduled to start getting paid for the season before the pandemic hit.
Most teams have already cut down their rosters to 15 players with a few at 12. It's going to be tough for some teams to get down to 12 without seeing players in training camp. The New York Liberty had 15 players on their roster as of Tuesday night.