Ten days after the New York Liberty swept the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the playoffs to become the first No. 8 seed to knock out a No. 1 seed in WNBA history, they were swept out of the semifinals by the Atlanta Dream. It was a fitting end to another frustrating season in Brooklyn.
After re-signing the Big Three of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu, convincing Satou Sabally to take a discount in free agency, bolstering the supporting cast with an array of international signings, including Pauline Astier, and hiring Chris DeMarco as their new coach, the Liberty were installed as the preseason title favorites.
Neither Ionescu (ankle), Sabally (cyst), nor Leonie Fiebich (overseas commitments) was ready for opening night, but they won anyway by 31. A few nights later, they blew a 13-point lead to the expansion Portland Fire and lost on a buzzer-beater. And so their season would go.
"We want to win a championship every single time we step on the court, but it's really hard in this league. And in order to do that, you need to be consistent for the full 44 games, and now it's going to be 50 and whatever, and I think that I don't think we were consistent throughout the season," Stewart said after the Game 3 loss to the Dream. "It's not like cramming for a test. You gotta you gotta be ready to go since the jump."
Sabally wouldn't make her debut until May 21, and by the time she was finally rounding into form, she took an elbow from NaLyssa Smith and was diagnosed with a concussion -- her second in less than a year -- that ultimately ended her season. She stepped away from the team in August, having played 13 games.
Ionescu made her debut on May 24, played one game and then went back to the sidelines for another three weeks due to a back injury. She rarely looked like her usual self upon her return. Fiebich didn't make her debut until May 27 because she was still overseas with her Spanish club team, Valencia. A little more than a month later, she suffered a foot injury that kept her sidelined for seven weeks. After returning, she scored in double figures just three times, including the playoffs.
All of the injuries prevented the Liberty from ever finding a rhythm with their ideal starting five. Stewart, Jones, Ionescu, Fiebich and Sabally only played 25 minutes together, and the Liberty's most-frequent lineup of Stewart, Jones, Ionescu, Astier and Rebecca Allen only played 157 minutes. That was the fewest minutes played by any playoff team's most-frequent five-player unit, and the fifth-fewest in the league. The enforced lineup changes were exacerbated at times by tinkering from DeMarco.
| Team | Min. For Most Frequent 5-Player Lineup |
|---|---|
Dream | 599 |
Lynx | 443 |
353 | |
348 | |
345 | |
233 | |
213 | |
Liberty | 157 |
Still, there was plenty of talent on the roster, led by Stewart, who had her streak of five consecutive All-WNBA First Team appearances snapped last season due to injuries, but was healthy and back to her best this summer. She averaged 20.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks, led the team in scoring, steals and blocks and finished fifth in MVP voting.
At times, the Liberty looked like the contender everyone expected them to be. Other times, they looked like a lottery team with an inexperienced coach. And so their season went -- all the way until the bitter end. The Liberty's size and skill overwhelmed the Lynx. Their lack of consistency and composure doomed them against the Dream.
"Frustration," Stewart said after Game 3 when asked to sum up her emotions. "I believe that no matter what cards you're dealt, I can always make something happen. Coming up short with the team really sucks. I think that it sucks. I think that it's a missed opportunity."
Season at a glance
- Record: 26-18 (No. 8 seed)
- Offensive rating: 110.8 (6th)
- Defensive rating: 107.9 (7th)
- Net rating: plus-3.9 (7th)
Biggest strength: Offensive skill
The amount of individual talent and skill on this roster, particularly on the offensive end, was off the charts. Stewart is one of the most gifted players the game has ever seen. Jones is an elite 3-point shooter -- she shot 39.2% this season and shot below 35% just once in her career -- at 6-foot-6. Ionescu, when healthy, is a high-level shot creator for herself and others. Sabally and Fiebich are 6-foot-4 wings who can operate like guards on the perimeter. Marine Johannès is called "La Magicienne" for a reason and Astier is an elite finisher at the rim. The Liberty were third in the league in true shooting (58.6%) and had the fourth-most efficient halfcourt offense (0.980 points per possession).
Biggest weakness: Inconsistency
The Liberty were the preseason title favorites for a reason, and they had plenty of flashes of greatness throughout the season -- an eight-game winning streak in late May and early June, another Commissioner's Cup trophy and a dominant first-round showing against the Lynx. But they were never able to pull everything together for more than a few games or weeks at a time.
Injuries were a major issue again. Ionescu rarely looked like herself after her return and DeMarco, in his first season, never seemed to know his best lineup. All told, you never knew what you were going to get from the Liberty on any given night.
Here's their season broken down into six distinct segments:
- May 8-14: 3-1
- May 21-25: 0-3
- May 27-June 17: 8-0
- June 19-July 18: 2-10
- July 20-Aug. 15: 9-2
- Aug. 18-Sept. 23: 4-4
Key free agents
- Rebecca Allen (announced retirement)
- Pauline Astier (Reserved)
- Han Xu (Reserved)
- Marine Johannès (Restricted)
- Rebekah Gardner (Restricted)
Biggest question: Is it time for a major shake-up?
The Liberty's offseason will only be as eventful as they want it to be.
Stewart, Jones, Ionescu, Sabally and Fiebich are all signed for 2027, and aside from Allen, who has already announced her retirement, their biggest free agents are all either reserved or restricted. They could very easily bring back Astier and Xu, make a few other moves on the margins, add their first-round pick and call it an offseason.
If the Liberty want to take that path after a hectic 2026 offseason and bank on continuity, better health, and a more experienced DeMarco, could you blame them? After all, Stewart, Jones, Ionescu, Fiebich and Sabally barely played together. It would be hard to fault any front office for wanting to give that group another shot.
However, since winning the title in 2024, the Liberty are 53-35 in the regular season, have not finished better than fifth and have won just one playoff series. You can point to injuries, but despite a coaching change and a different supporting cast, this group has not been able to consistently reach a championship standard.
After yet another disappointing campaign, general manager Jonathan Kolb has to at least consider whether it's time for a major shake-up.
Another coaching change?
That starts with determining DeMarco's future. A longtime NBA assistant with the Golden State Warriors, DeMarco's tenure got off to a shaky start when he admitted during his introductory press conference that he didn't know much about the franchise's history or the league.
His lack of experience, both with the league and running his own team, was never clearer than during the controversial end to Game 2 against the Dream, when he did not use the team's final reset timeout to advance the ball and run a set play while facing a three-point deficit with 4.3 seconds remaining. There was a clear miscommunication with the officials about whether the Liberty had a timeout remaining, but it's ultimately the coach's responsibility to know that, and his response was uninspiring.
"Yeah, same thing. They just said we didn't have it," DeMarco said when asked about Stewart's claim that the officials told the Liberty they were out of timeouts. "Yeah, multiple staff members. It is what it is. We gotta demand more, but it is what it is."
Compare what DeMarco said about the incident to what Ionescu said in the aftermath.
"I heard someone say yes. I heard someone say no. It should have been me who honestly stopped the game and was like, 'What's the answer?' I'm taking the blame for that as well," Ionescu said. "It's on me. ... I'm taking accountability."
Following Game 3, DeMarco said he expects to be back next season. The Big Three didn't seem so sure. That's "not our decision," Ionescu said. Jones added, "That's not our say. Our job is to go out there and play good basketball." Stewart sidestepped the question.
Kolb took a big swing to bring in DeMarco to replace Sandy Brondello, who had led the team to its first championship in 2024. Firing him after one season would not be ideal, but it may be necessary if the players aren't bought in.
Could a Sabrina Ionescu trade be in store?
On the player front, Stewart isn't going anywhere, and Jones, as frustrating as she can be at times, is such a unique and talented player that it would be a big surprise if the Liberty wanted to move her. Could they look to punt on the Sabally experiment after one season? It's possible given her health concerns, but she's making well under the max and only has one year left on her deal. That means any conversation about a major trade in Brooklyn this offseason is really about Ionescu.
The former No. 1 overall pick, Ionescu has made four All-Star and four All-WNBA Second Team appearances in her seven seasons, and hit one of the biggest shots in franchise history -- a last-second 3-pointer to win Game 3 of the 2024 Finals -- to help the Liberty win their first title. She is a beloved figure in Barclays Center, and trading her would not be a popular decision, but it may be New York's best bet to make a meaningful change.
Ionescu was limited to 31 games this season due to ankle and back injuries, and when she was on the floor, she had her worst season since 2021, which was effectively her rookie campaign: 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 38.8/29.5/89.6 shooting splits.
Her 3-point shot, which has never lived up to its reputation, has completely deserted her in recent seasons; she's shot better than 33.3% once, and hasn't shot above 30% since 2024. Aside from her heroics in Game 3 of the 2024 Finals, she's largely struggled in the playoffs. She was infamously 1 of 19 in Game 5 of the 2024 Finals, averaged 15.7 points on 34.7% shooting in the Liberty's first-round exit in 2025 and against the Dream had costly turnovers in the final minute of both Game 2 and Game 3.
In Astier (24 years old) and Marine Fauthoux (25), the Liberty also have young guards who look capable of stepping into a bigger role. That doesn't make Ionescu expendable, but it is another reason why she's the most likely member of the core to be moved.
Of course, some of the reasons the Liberty may want to trade Ionescu are the same reasons her value will be lower than it ever has been. Moving on from her would only be worthwhile if the Liberty could address clear needs -- say, athleticism and perimeter defense -- in the process.
After yet another underwhelming regular season and early playoff exit, Kolb is going to have some tough decisions to make this winter.
WNBA Draft outlook
The Liberty have all three of their picks (Nos. 8, 23 and 38) in the 2027 WNBA Draft, and if there's any silver lining to dropping all the way to the No. 8 seed, it's that they now have the No. 8 overall pick. They didn't have their first-round selection in three of the last four drafts, and haven't picked in the top-10 since they selected Nyara Sabally at No. 5 overall in 2022.
There will be someone on the board at No. 8 who should be able to help them right away in 2027. The most obvious fits are Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa and Ole Miss guard Talaysia Cooper. Both are rangy wings with impressive defensive playmaking skills and would immediately be among the best athletes on the team.
The second- and third-round picks are unlikely to matter right away, but if any team has shown us the value of the later rounds of the draft, it's the Liberty. Fiebich was a second-round pick that they traded for before she ever entered the league, Xu was their second-round pick in 2019 and Fauthoux was their third-round pick in 2021.
