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WNBA Star Breanna Stewart ‘Sets the Record Straight’ on Her Free Agency Plan

The Liberty star is no stranger to free agency.
Madison Williams|
Breanna Stewart is setting the record straight about her future with the Liberty.
Breanna Stewart is setting the record straight about her future with the Liberty. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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New York Liberty

Breanna Stewart is no stranger to free agency, but she intends to be an onlooker this offseason.

There’s been rumors circulating that Stewie could leave the New York Liberty this offseason as she entered free agency. It’s a quick offseason as the WNBA and the players association just passed the new collective bargaining agreement back on March 18. Because of the condensed offseason schedule, free agency will begin on Tuesday, April 7, so less than a week away.

Before rumors could continue taking off, Stewart made sure to “set the record straight” about where she intends to play for the 2026 season: she plans to remain in New York. Liberty fans can exhale now.

“I’m gonna just set the record straight here. I will be staying in New York,” Stewart said on her Game Recognize Game podcast. “I’m not planning on taking any free agency meetings, even though I am an unrestricted free agent.”

Stewart explained her decision a bit more, and it seems like a big pull for her to remain in New York is based on her family already living there. It gets complicated having to move yourself and your family around the country every few years.

“My family is set up here. We’re solid here,” Stewart continued. “... I’m gonna be back in New York and that’s all there is to it. Good luck to everybody else in free agency, but I’m not a part of that.”

That’s one way to take control over your own news.

Now the fans will wait to hear the details of a new deal that Stewart should be getting. It might be a ground-breaking deal at that since the league’s new salary cap increased to $7 million with the CBA. Supermax deals can start at $1.4 million with the average salary being $600,000. The minimum salary for players is set at $300,000. For comparison, Stewart’s 2025 deal with the Liberty was set at $222,400. She’s understandably expected to receive a huge pay increase for the 2026 season.

Key WNBA free agency dates

Because of the condensed WNBA offseason, the free agency dates may look a bit different this year. Teams can start making qualifying offers to restricted, reserved or core-eligible players on April 7 and 8. From there, negotiations will take place on Thursday, April 9 before players can officially sign deals on April 12.

This is a much quicker timeline for free agency as this process normally lasts around three weeks in a normal offseason.

Stewart is one of over 100 WNBA players who are set to be free agents this month. It’ll be a chaotic week for the league, to say the least. Luckily for Stewart, she doesn’t have to communicate with other teams and listen to various deals since she plans to remain with the Liberty. It wouldn’t be a surprise if other players decide to stay where they’re already at for shorter deals instead of dealing with the fast-paced free agency this year.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University.

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