Liberty bring Breanna Stewart back on one-year deal

X marked the spot where Breanna Stewart reacted with three words to the Liberty’s announcement that she had re-signed Saturday for a third season:

“And we back,” she posted on the social media site.

Stewart was expected to be back since the defending WNBA champs had designated the 30-year-old unrestricted free agent as a core player — akin to a franchise tag — for the second and final time. So she couldn’t freely leave for elsewhere. She clearly wanted to stay anyway.

So after signing free agent forward Isabelle Harrison, trading for guard Natasha Cloud and bringing back guard Marine Johannes following a year’s absence, GM Jonathan Kolb re-signed one of the all-time greats to a reported one-year, $208,400 deal.

“Bringing Stewie back to the Liberty was our top priority this offseason,” Kolb said in the team’s release regarding the signing.

Stewart, who’s coming off arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this month, is a six-time WNBA All-Star, a six-time member of the All-Defensive team, a three-time champion, two-time MVP and two-time Finals MVP.

The 6-4 forward averaged 21.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists across her first two seasons here. The Liberty made the Finals in 2024, then secured the franchise’s first league title last October.

So Stewart and the Liberty will enter training camp on April 27 with repeating on their minds.

Kolb called Stewart’s impact “immeasurable,” adding that “she’s not only one of the best and most accomplished players in the world, but a leader whose relentless drive is foundational to the standard we continue to build upon in New York.”