Overview
- New York secured multiyear agreements Saturday for All‑Star forward Satou Sabally and returning center Jonquel Jones, enlarging its star trio into a four‑player nucleus for 2026.
- Sabrina Ionescu received a core designation that gives the Liberty exclusive negotiating rights on a one‑year supermax offer, and Breanna Stewart has publicly said she plans to stay in New York.
- Sabally’s status bears watching after a concussion in Game 3 of the 2025 Finals, though she averaged 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in the regular season and lifted her production in the playoffs.
- The roster will play under first‑year head coach Chris DeMarco after the team dismissed Sandy Brondello following a 2025 first‑round exit that exposed rebounding and defensive gaps.
- A larger 2026 CBA salary cap of about $7 million and a $1.4 million supermax helped speed free‑agency decisions, with New York now turning to role‑player choices such as Natasha Cloud and Betnijah Laney‑Hamilton ahead of Monday’s draft and a May 8 opener.