Why the Liberty might not be able to keep Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu together
The Liberty face a huge decision with Stewart, Ionescu and Jonquel Jones.
Why the Liberty might not be able to keep Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu together originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement has brought historic pay increases to the league's players.
It also might lead to salary cap chaos for its teams, particularly the star-laden New York Liberty . The Liberty, WNBA champions in 2024, face an unenviable task of keeping its "Big Three" -- Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart -- together in 2026 and beyond. MORE: Is Caitlin Clark a free agent?
Why WNBA free agent 'frenzy' could realign the league All three players -- two of whom are former MVPs -- are free agents. And all three are eligible to sign supermax contracts starting at $1. 4 million.
The new salary cap in the WNBA is set at around $7 million. Bringing all three of Ionescu, Jones and Stewart back on supermaxes would chew up more than half of New York's cap space. The pathway to re-sign Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones is challenging but not impossible.