New York

Liberty

The final head coaching vacancy in the WNBA has been filled, with the Liberty reportedly landing on current Golden State Warriors assistant DeMarco. He’s been part of Steve Kerr’s staff since 2012, beginning his time with the franchise as the video coordinator. During his time with the Warriors, DeMarco has helped the franchise win four NBA titles. He’ll have large shoes to fill in Brooklyn, as the Liberty parted ways with Sandy Brondello at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Brondello led the Liberty to the franchise’s first WNBA title in 2024 and three playoff appearances in four seasons at the helm.

After appearing in 40 and 39 games the two seasons prior, Jones made 31 regular-season appearances for the Liberty in 2025. She missed time before the All-Star break with a right ankle injury and managed to play through persistent issues during the post-break portion of the schedule. According to Powell, Monday’s procedure was minor and addressed instability in Jones’ ankle. Jones is one of six Liberty players who will be unrestricted free agents this offseason, including Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart.

One season after leading the franchise to its first WNBA title, Brondello was informed that she would not be retained as Liberty head coach. An injury-riddled 2025 season ended with a first-round elimination at the hands of Phoenix, with the Mercury winning Game 3 on Friday. Brondello, hired as the franchise’s head coach in December 2021, won 107 games at the helm, the most in Liberty history. With Tuesday’s news, there are now four head coaching vacancies in the WNBA. In addition to New York and Seattle, incoming expansion teams Portland and Toronto have openings to fill.

Jones’ Game 2 struggles fully spilled into Friday’s Game 3, where she made only one shot on the evening and failed to make a three-pointer. The 2024 Finals MVP’s lone basket came in the final minute of the first quarter. She’d go on to miss her next seven shots and finish as one of several Liberty players to come up short on the offensive end. Jones, like several other Liberty players, will enter free agency this upcoming offseason. She figures to remain a productive fantasy basketball option regardless of where she chooses to play in 2026.

Ionescu was one of two Liberty players to find success on the offensive end on Friday in a game in which New York struggled greatly to efficiently put the ball in the basket. Although the former first-overall pick didn’t have great accuracy as a shooter, she topped 20 points and led her team in three-pointers, while tying a team high in assists. Yet, Ionescu struggled down the stretch — she tallied nine fourth-quarter minutes and went scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting. With the defending champions now eliminated, Ionescu will hit unrestricted free agency as one of the best players on the market.

Battling an injured knee, Stewart did all she could to help the defending champion Liberty avoid elimination, which included scoring all 14 of the Liberty’s fourth-quarter points. The scoring output in the final frame nearly amounted to half of her points total on the evening — she had 16 points through three quarters on 4-of-10 shooting. The two-time MVP finished as one of two New York players to reach double figures in scoring, and will enter the 2025 offseason as one of the top WNBA free agents.

Stewart, playing on a strained MCL, logged 20 minutes in Game 2 and struggled to contribute much on the offensive end. She shot just 33.3 percent from the field and made little impact as a facilitator or rebounder. Yet, the two-time MVP wasn’t alone in her offensive struggles — New York, as a team, made only 30.2 percent of its shots from the field en route to totaling 60 points on the evening. With the loss on Wednesday, Stewart will have just one day in between games to recover and get ready for a series-deciding Game 3 in Phoenix on Friday.

None of the Liberty’s five starters were able to reach double figures in scoring on Wednesday, as they all shot inefficiently and played limited minutes due to a large second-half deficit. Jones, however, was at least able to make an impact on the glass, leading all players in rebounding in Game 2. Her biggest impact came in the game’s opening quarter — here, she shot 3-of-3 from the field and scored all seven of her points before going scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting the rest of the way. New York will almost certainly need a more productive performance on Friday from its reigning Finals MVP if it wants to avoid elimination, especially with Breanna Stewart playing through a knee injury.

Meeseman was the only Liberty player to score in double figures on a night in which New York’s offense struggled to score 60 total points. Meeseman’s offensive production came in just 18 minutes and primarily in the first quarter, where she tallied seven points on 3-of-4 shooting. From there, the former Finals MVP’s offensive contributions were minimal, as were those of the Liberty as a whole. The Liberty will likely need their veteran reserve to be productive again on Friday as they look to avoid elimination and advance to the second round of the playoffs.

While Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello described Stewart as a game-time decision after injuring her left knee during Game 1, the forward herself plans to be available. “They told me that structurally, everything looks OK. So my plan is to go,” Stewart said. According to her, an MRI revealed a strained MCL. Depending on the grade of strain, the healing process can take anywhere from a few days to eight weeks. Emma Meesseman’s role would expand if Stewart encounters any issues after playing 13 minutes off the bench in Game 1.