The New York Liberty Look Like a Superteam—But Questions Remain
It's safe to say the New York Liberty's title defense in 2025 did not go as planned. The team faced numerous injuries and failed to meet expectations—so much so that head coach Sandy Brondello was dismissed just a year removed from winning a championship.
Fast forward to 2026 and the Liberty are entering the season with a new coach, Chris DeMarco, who was a long-time Golden State Warriors assistant in the NBA, and fresh off one of the marquee free agent signings of the offseason in Satou Sabally.
As a result, the Liberty prepare to tip off the preseason against the Indiana Fever Saturday with championship aspirations and superteam allegations.
Credit general manager Jonathan Kolb for making the salary cap math work. He was able to retain the team's star trio of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones on max contracts ($1.19 million each), while still being able to fill out the roster, make the big addition, and keep the team compliant with the $7 million cap.
It helps that Sabally's deal was for well under the max at $815,000, while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was retained for $400,000. The rest of the roster is made up of camp contracts and players making close to the minimum, with Rebecca Allen brought in and Leonie Fiebich staying on team-friendly deals.
And given the contract status of the backend of the roster, the front office will clearly be doing a lot of evaluating in camp to determine which players best fill the needs the team still has.
Liberty's Size Comes With Skill
The first thing that stands out is the Liberty's combination of size and skill. New York's star-studded roster is massive. With Sabally added, the frontcourt is made up of players who are all at least 6-foot-four and feature lengthy wingspans.
Jones-Stewart-Sabally-Fiebich is an imposing sight for any opponent and what makes the size interesting is that it doesn't come with a lack of shooting, as everyone in that group can score.
New York boasts a fearsome collection of players, with the lingering variable being fit.
Could There Be Redundancy?
While it's easy to simply want to hand the Liberty the trophy following the acquisition of Sabally, there are some questions to be answered about redundancy.
New York got an up close look at Sabally in the postseason, as she averaged nearly 16 points and 9 rebounds as the Phoenix Mercury bounced the Liberty in the first round. But she is used to having the ball in her hands and hasn't simply been a plug-and-play player.
Sabally was third in the WNBA in usage percentage in 2025, meaning her production came at high volume. Ionescu and Stewart were fourth and ninth respectively, so the Liberty feature several players who are used to touching the rock plenty.
Does this relegate Jones to more of a spot-up shooting role? She is certainly capable of being a stretch-center having shot 42.4% from deep last season, but it's fair to wonder how Sabally will blend in given the mix.
Another thing to keep an eye on is Stewart's struggles from the outside in recent seasons. Her overall resume speaks for itself, but she has hit on under 30% from beyond the arc two years running, which could lead to spacing issues.
Is There Enough in the Backcourt?
A lot is going to fall on the shoulders of Sabrina Ionescu.
Ionescu praised the team's versatility, and the simplicity of DeMarco's system from training camp on Tuesday, but as currently constructed, the Liberty don't have the aforementioned redundancy at her position.
Ionescu is at her best as a combo guard, at times initiating the offense at the point of attack, while also thriving when she can benefit from open catch and shoot looks.
I asked Sabrina Ionescu about how she sees her skillset being maximized under Chris DeMarco’s system. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GW4fxJEP3w
— Khristina (@Khristina) April 21, 2026
But with Natasha Cloud departing in free agency, not only will Ionescu be tasked with primary ball-handling duties but she could be left on an island defensively at times. It will be interesting to see how the Liberty deal with teams that feature elite guard play—like the Fever who they start off their preseason campaign against.
Overall, any problems the Liberty have are of the good variety, as surely other franchises are envious of their talent. But until the dominance on paper is proven on the court, it's prudent to press pause on a coronation.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!
Follow robinlundberg