The New York Liberty quickly established themselves as one of the most dominant teams in the WNBA in the 2024 season, excelling on both ends of the floor. Even though the Minnesota Lynx put up a good fight, it was not entirely surprising to see the Liberty finish the season with a championship.
After that great success, the Liberty’s mission for the 2025 WNBA season should be obvious: get back to the finals and try to repeat. Repeating is never easy, but the Liberty have a strong core that is still able to play at an incredibly high level and a deep bench.
Still, other teams will provide the Liberty with tough challenges, including the WNBA’s newest franchise. The Golden State Valkyries will take the court for the first time in the 2025 season and still have to build their initial roster. The first step in that process will be the expansion draft on December 6.
In the expansion draft, the Valkyries will have the chance to select one player from all twelve WNBA teams or trade with their new competition. The other teams get the chance to protect six players, but for a team with championship aspirations that may not be enough. So, fans shouldn’t be surprised to see the Liberty ship out some draft picks to prevent the Valkyries from selecting one of their rotational players.
Who should the Liberty protect in the expansion draft?
1. Breanna Stewart
Protecting Breanna Stewart should not even be a question. Stewart will be a free agent this offseason but is widely expected to return to New York, and the Liberty should desperately want to keep her around. Stewart led the Liberty in points, minutes, rebounds, and blocks per game during the playoffs.
2. Sabrina Ionescu
Protecting Sabrina Ionescu should be just as easy a decision as protecting Stewart. The two of them were the major force behind the Liberty’s success and will provide the same next season. Ionescu trailed only Stewart in minutes and points per game during the Liberty’s playoff run and led the team in assists and steals per game.
3. Jonquel Jones
Jonquel Jones’s production may have gone down a bit since coming to New York but she was an instrumental piece in the Liberty’s run to the 2024 WNBA Championship. Jones was the Liberty’s third most productive player during the playoffs and put together some big games, like her 17-point performance in Game 5 of the Finals. Jones still has more left in the tank, and the Liberty will need her if they want to defend their title.
4. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton struggled with injuries during the 2024 WNBA season, but her defense and 3-point shooting were still key to the Liberty’s success. After such a successful season, you do not want to break up the starting five that got you through the playoffs and to a title. So, Laney-Hamilton should unquestionably be on the Liberty’s list of protected players.
5. Leonie Fiebich
Leonie Fiebich’s emergence was one of the great success stories of the Liberty’s season. In just one season, the German rookie played her way from the bench into the starting lineup. She even played 40 minutes in Game 5 of the finals. Fiebich is only 24 years old but already plays like a veteran and can help the Liberty win at the moment as well as build for the future.
6. Nyara Sabally
Protecting the starting five that carried the Liberty to a championship should be an easy choice. Selecting the sixth player is more difficult. The Liberty could protect Courtney Vandersloot, Kayla Thornton, or Nyara Sabally. There is a case for each of them, but in the end, protecting Sabally may be the best choice for the team’s future.
When healthy, she is a talented young big who has shown flashes of her potential already. In Game 5 of the finals, for example, she recorded 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in just 17 minutes of playing time while the Liberty’s stars struggled. Jones and Stewart are both 30 already, so the Liberty will eventually need a big to take some of their minutes and lighten the load for the veterans.
Thornton and Vandersloot both played big roles in the Liberty’s run to the championship, but it may be time to bank on youth and untouched potential rather than veteran talent and experience.