According to Howard Megdal of The Next, the Las Vegas Aces are under investigation for making under-the-table offers to current members of the team along with free agents the organization pursued over the last few weeks.

The WNBA and Aces did not respond to The Next‘s request for comment on the investigation taking place by the league.

Megdal detailed the process for how the Aces have handled their alleged payments to players.

“According to those familiar with the allegations, the pattern alleged that the team followed typically involved a high-level member of the Aces instructing the agent of a potential signing — either a free agent, or an Aces player negotiating an extension — that at the conclusion of the phone call between team and agent, the agent would receive a call with an offer for a specific amount of money from a particular, pre-selected company. The work involved would be negligible, according to those familiar with the allegations.”

The Aces recently added two-time MVP Candace Parker on a $100,000 contract, a number that is $95,000 less than what she made in 2022. Kiah Stokes, who made $115,000 last season, reportedly agreed to a one-year, $81,000 deal. The league's salary cap remains an issue as teams who want to spend on their players do not have the ability to pay a luxury tax penalty like NBA owners do.

The allegations against the Aces come at a time where the league is at a crossroads: does it reward the owners who are aggressive in making their teams better or punish them and bring them back down to the level of the others who are comfortable not investing in their teams. The gap between those two groups has widened in recent years. Last season, the New York Liberty were fined $500,000 after the league became aware the team had chartered its players during the 2022 season. It was reported the WNBA threatened to terminate the franchise, citing a competitive advantage over teams who didn't have access to private air travel.

The situation becomes more complex as the onion gets peeled back. If the league were to void the contracts of the players who signed with the Aces, it would, in turn, punish those players at a time where the WNBA has taken heat for its working conditions. Recently, superstar Breanna Stewart tweeted out a proposal to people interested in investing in chartering the league for the entirety of the 2023 season. It got support from in and outside of the league but WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert pushed back on the idea, citing the importance of being able to fund chartered travel for more than one season. Player rights have never been more amplified in the league's history. The discourse has been reignited after the reports of the league's investigation into the Aces' alleged behavior.

This is not the only scandal Las Vegas is facing at the moment. On Jan. 21, former Aces forward Dearica Hamby posted a message on Instagram alleging the team manipulated and discriminated against her when it found out she was pregnant with her second child.

“Being traded is part of the business. Being lied to, manipulated and discriminated against is not.” “To be treated this way, by an organization, by women who are mothers, who have claimed to ‘be in these shoes’… leaves me sick to my stomach.” – Dearica Hamby, Jan. 21 via Instagram.

It has been 17 days since Hamby's post was made public and the Aces and WNBA have not released any form of a statement about the contents of her post. Las Vegas had an opportunity to address the situation yesterday when Candace Parker was being introduced after signing with the team. None of the members of the Aces' brass who were present during the press conference addressed the situation or mention Hamby by name in their opening remarks. The public relations staff elected to not call on reporters from the national media who have made requests for comment on Hamby's allegations. The public relations coordinator shut down the one question asked about Hamby directed to Aces president Nikki Fargas, saying she had to bail on the press conference because of a 12:30 appointment that conflicted with Parker's introduction.

Many people on social media lambasted the Aces after a video of the public relations coordinator shutting down the question went viral. Both the league and the team have still not made any comment about Hamby 22 hours later.