Sabrina Ionescu unsurprisingly gets core qualifying offer from Liberty

Major changes came for the WNBA as they and the WNBPA reached an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). One of those changes is that the best players in the league can now make so much more money than they could have under the previous CBA — with teams being able to offer core qualifying offers worth the supermax ($1.4 million) to players they’d wish to hold exclusive negotiating rights with.

On Monday, the WNBA free agency period began. On Tuesday, teams began to tender core qualifying offers to the player they’d wish to keep for the long haul. For the New York Liberty, the answer to whom they should keep around as their foundational star was a no-brainer, as WNBA insider Khristina Williams reported that the Liberty had tendered the core qualifying offer to Sabrina Ionescu.

There was never going to be any doubt as to which player the Liberty will be offering this to. She’s been the Liberty’s most recognizable star since she took the leap from good to great in 2021, and she’s one of the best shooters in the association, her struggles in 2025 notwithstanding.

Only 28 years of age, Ionescu deserves every dollar the Liberty can give her, and the question now is not if she stays with the team, but for how long will she commit.

Liberty gear up for championship push in 2026

Last season, the Liberty finished with a 27-17 record, which was good for the fifth seed in the playoffs. However, they were promptly bounced out of the first round by the Phoenix Mercury.

Perhaps with a cleaner bill of health, the Liberty can assume their status as one of the best teams in the WNBA. After all, they were the WNBA champions not too long ago. And with Ionescu and Breanna Stewart most probably still with the team for the upcoming season, the sky is the limit for the Liberty.

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