The 2026 WNBA offseason has been one of the most anticipated in the league’s history, with nearly every veteran player hitting free agency at the same time following the new collective bargaining agreement. For New York Liberty fans who have spent months wondering whether their franchise cornerstone would stay or go, the wait is finally over.
Sabrina Ionescu made her intentions crystal clear on Wednesday at USA Basketball training camp in Phoenix, delivering news that will give the Liberty faithful plenty of reason to exhale heading into what promises to be a wild and chaotic free agency window opening April 9.
Is Sabrina Ionescu Leaving the Liberty in 2026?
“Obviously I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Ionescu said visa ESPN. “Never thought anything different, and so excited to be able to sign and get started. It’s coming up really quickly, so excited to get all this behind us and just be able to start our season and get going in New York.”
The announcement from Ionescu came on the same day that her Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart made a similarly definitive statement on her podcast, ‘Game Recognize Game with Stewie and Myles.’ Stewart told co-host Myles Turner that she will not attend any free agent meetings, despite being an unrestricted free agent.
The back-to-back announcements from two of the most important players on the roster gave the Liberty a major boost at a time when the franchise is navigating significant change, including the arrival of first-year head coach Chris DeMarco.
Ionescu’s commitment to New York is not surprising, given what she has said throughout the offseason. In an interview with Bleacher Report, she made it clear that playing for the same team long-term has always been her priority.
“Getting drafted and being the franchise player in New York has always been something I’ve really cherished and honored,” she said at the time, adding that she did not expect to be heavily involved in free agency exploration.
The Liberty selected Ionescu with the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, and she has built her career in New York from the ground up, becoming one of the most decorated players in the franchise’s history.
Her resume speaks for itself. Ionescu is a four-time WNBA All-Star and four-time All-WNBA selection who has averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game over the past season.
The context behind Wednesday’s announcement matters. The 2026 WNBA offseason is unlike anything the league has seen before. Almost every veteran player structured their contract to hit free agency simultaneously so they could take advantage of the massive salary increases in the new CBA.
The supermax contract this year is valued at a record-breaking $1.4 million, and teams across the league are bracing for significant roster turnover. Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said in his exit interview after the 2025 season that he had the “utmost confidence” that Ionescu, Stewart, and Jonquel Jones would all return.
With Ionescu and Stewart both going public with their intentions on the same afternoon, Kolb’s confidence appears well-founded on at least two of those three fronts.
For a player like Ionescu, who has clearly known for a while exactly where she stands, none of that urgency applies. New York has been home since day one, and by all indications, it will remain so.
