Liberty plan to keep Breanna Stewart via core designation - ESPN

The New York Liberty intend to designate Breanna Stewart as a core player so she will not become an unrestricted free agent, according to Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb.

Stewart, the 2023 MVP, reiterated Friday that she is «excited for what we're doing here in New York» and «looking forward to doing it for many years to come.»

New York is hoping that it can run it back with its relatively new core, a group of players who mostly arrived in Brooklyn this past offseason, and that it can build off its 3-1 Finals series loss to the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

The core acts like a franchise tag in the NFL: Once the Liberty officially core Stewart, she cannot sign a contract directly with another team. She can either sign a core qualifying offer (i.e. a one-year supermax contract) or negotiate different terms.

Although Stewart can be cored, 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones cannot since she already played for two years under the core designation. She will be an unrestricted free agent heading into next season. Jones said she will have conversations with the Liberty about how to proceed. She wasn't ready to commit but added that she's «definitely trending towards coming back here.»

Kolb called Jones «arguably our best player, just in terms of consistency» in the postseason. She averaged 17.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in the playoffs, where the Liberty went 6-4.

«She's a player that we definitely want to retain, and we'll continue those talks into the offseason,» Kolb said.

Courtney Vandersloot, Stewart and Jones all arrived this past offseason to join 2020 No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu and All-Star Betnijah Laney, creating what many dubbed the WNBA's newest «superteam.» Vandersloot is under contract for next