After winning the franchise’s first WNBA championship, the New York Liberty were able to keep together their core. Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones are all still on the roster. So are Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Leonie Fiebich, Nyara Sabally, and Kennedy Burke. Breanna Stewart’s knee surgery is concerning but she is supposed to be ready for training camp. The Liberty also hope that Laney-Hamilton will be healthy for the 2025 season.
The only key players the Liberty lost were Courtney Vandersloot, who signed with the Chicago Sky in free agency, and Kayla Thornton, who was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft. To make up for losing Vandersloot, the Liberty traded their first-round pick in this year’s draft as well as a future pick to the Connecticut Sun for Natasha Cloud. Cloud will provide important playmaking, strong defense, and another player who knows what it takes to win at the highest level. The Liberty also signed Isabelle Harrison and re-signed Marine Johannes.
All in all, the Liberty look ready to defend their title if everyone is healthy. They have everything a team needs to compete at the highest level: star power, veteran experience, strong two-way players, and solid depth.
That should make them one of the most exciting teams to watch in the 2025 season.
Liberty and Fever are teams basketball fans do not want to miss
The WNBA just released its broadcast and streaming schedule and made an obvious statement with it: The Indiana Fever are the must-watch team of the 2025 season. Indiana has 41 of its 44 games scheduled to be on national TV, setting a league record. The Fever feature Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark but also worked hard to surround her and Aliyah Boston with the right pieces to build a contender. It is not much of a surprise that the league wants to feature the Fever as much as possible.
However, the Liberty should be in the same conversation. They may not have a young talent like Clark, but they are a strong two-way team that has already proven that it can win at the highest level. Adding Natasha Cloud only makes them even better.
The Liberty will have a target on their back in the 2025 season, and teams like the Fever, Lynx, Aces, and Mercury will try to make some noise as well, but New York will undoubtedly be one of the best teams in the league. Their talent alone makes the Liberty a fun team to watch, and their style of play only adds to it. Basketball fans love to watch teams that can perform well on both ends of the floor. The Liberty are just that.
The Liberty will have 32 games broadcast on national TV, giving fans anywhere plenty of opportunities to watch them. That is the third-highest number behind only the Fever and the Aces.