When you finally get the (Ellie) the elephant off your back and win the franchise’s first championship, you can do what you want, when you want.
At least, that seems to be the attitude with which the New York Liberty approached the 2025 WNBA offseason. As other organizations executed a flurry of moves as soon as the league’s free agency window opened, the Liberty the were rather quiet, just signing a few players to training camp contracts, including Rebekah Gardner, who missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, and Isabelle Harrison, who spent last season with the Chicago Sky. All the while, Breanna Stewart’s return was assumed, even as the 2023 MVP, who has opted for one-year deals during her New York tenure, remained unsigned.
New York’s relative silence, however, did not signal inaction. The Liberty’s series of (eventual) offseason moves should have a loud impact as the team looks to defend its 2024 title. Yet at the same time, there are some reasons to sound alarms, with the champs preparing to navigate the 2025 season with some potentially escalating injury-related concerns.
Walk softly and make a big trade
On Mar. 16, the team consummated a long-speculated trade for Natasha Cloud, acquiring the point guard, who had been moved from the Phoenix Mercury…
