Breanna Stewart, Liberty Agree to Reported 1-Year, Below-Maximum Contract in WNBA FA
February 26, 2024
Breanna Stewart removed any doubt regarding her short-term future after agreeing to a new deal with the New York Liberty on Monday.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Stewart signed a one-year deal.
The Liberty applied the core designation to the two-time MVP in January, which granted them exclusive negotiating rights and all but secured her return to the Big Apple.
Stewart could've earned the full supermax salary on a one-year core tender but settled for a "below-maximum" payout, per Charania.
She provided New York with additional flexibility by taking a non-guaranteed salary.
Teams are allotted up to six protected salary slots in a given year. The Liberty were up to five when including Kennedy Burke, whom The Next's Jackie Powell reported is getting the veteran minimum ($76,535) guaranteed. Instead of Stewart filling that last spot, it's still available to help general manager Jonathan Kolb secure one more meaningful addition.
When it came to Stewart, Kolb wasted no time in affirming the franchise intended to keep her, and there was little reason to think she'd want a change of scenery already. New York reached the WNBA Finals in 2023, and the 29-year-old had one of the best seasons of her career.
All of the Liberty's key players are returning, so they're once again poised to be the strongest challengers to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
Looking at the bigger picture, Stewart only signing for one season probably doesn't reflect any hesitation about how she views the Liberty long-term.
The WNBA's current collective bargaining agreement is incentivizing players to only sign one- or two-year contracts. The CBA runs through 2027 but includes an opt-out that either side can trigger to go into effect after the 2025 season.
The WNBA has a new media rights deal coming down the pike at some point, and that could see the league's revenue skyrocket just in time for CBA negotiations. For stars on Stewart's level, going year by year ensures they'll get to cash out as soon as the financial spike happens.
That does present a challenge to Kolb, though. Stewart is headed for free agency in another year's time, and the trio of Nyara Sabally, Leonie Fiebich and Okako Adika are the only Liberty players under contract for the 2026 season.
Anything short of winning a title in 2024 or 2025 could throw a serious wrench into New York's superteam construction.
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