Speculation ran rampant online after Sandy Brondello’s ousting.
Some wondered what her departure may mean for the return of the Liberty’s star trinity of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones.
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General manager Jonathan Kolb eased some of those concerns Thursday.
“I have the utmost confidence that they want to be back with us,” Kolb said of the trio.
Stewart, Ionescu and Jones had all shared their plans to run it back in 2026. They’ll have to do it, though, with a new person in charge.
This offseason was bound to bring change after the Liberty followed up a 2024 title win with a first-round playoff exit. Brondello was the first domino to fall, though Kolb stressed the decision was not solely rooted in this season’s performance.
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Kolb said the Liberty have a “massive opportunity” over the next few months. There’s still plenty of unknowns surrounding roster size, salary cap and expansion drafts because of the unfinished collective bargaining agreement.
Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb speaks to the press during training camp at the Barclays Center on May 3, 2025. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
And because the majority of the league’s players are free agents, Kolb speculated that this offseason could have ramifications for years to come.
“This is honestly a probably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many franchises,” Kolb said. “I also feel that the next — I don’t know what the contract links will be — but three or four years, the WNBA future is going to be decided in the matter of a few weeks.”
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Expect the Liberty to be aggressive in fortifying their roster.
But before that, Kolb must hire the coach who will lead the team in a new direction.
Kolb doesn’t view this past year as a “lost season,” despite the team’s shortcomings.
Left to right: Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart watch from the bench during the Liberty’s Game 2 loss to the Mercury at Barclays Center. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
“In fact, I said something similar to the group after Game 3 in Phoenix, that we have to learn from this and during the season, there were many opportunities to learn,” he said.
Kolb witnessed the myriad ways opponents exposed his team’s weaknesses this season.
It was no secret that the Liberty struggled against physical teams. The offense would get stagnant when the initial action or two were blown up by the defense and the ball would get stuck like bubble gum under a shoe.
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The decline in defense and rebounding were especially troubling. The Liberty went from being the No. 1 rebounding team in 2024 to seventh this season. Their defensive rating went from being top three in the league (95.3) last year to sixth (100.6) this year.
Losing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton to a knee injury for the entire season no doubt hurt the Liberty, and they expect to have her back next year.
But Kolb has to evaluate whether other personnel changes need to be made.
“We want to get back to being who we have been,” he said, “but also solving the problems that we still found success through.”
The next coach will need to be innovative with their game plan and adaptable to in-game changes. The future style of the WNBA could mirror the shift the NBA has seen in years prior.
The Liberty’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton drives on Natisha Hiedeman of the Minnesota Lynx. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Some teams, including the Valkyries, Mystic and Mercury, have started to adopt those different styles and have stupefied opponents.
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“The game is changing rapidly,” Kolb said. “I honestly don’t even know if it’s the same league as in 2023. We’re seeing a basketball style on both sides of the ball that is rapidly changing and I think that will impact our decision not only that we made recently but also roster as we look at our build and making sure that we are not standing still and we provide the right ingredients for whomever sits in that coaching seat to cook with.”
Nyara Sabally won’t play this offseason in order to rehabilitate her right knee issue, Kolb said.
Sabally entered this season riding the high of being the Liberty’s hero in Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA Finals. She also had a strong offseason showing with her offseason team, Fenerbahçe in Turkey.
The Liberty’s Nyara Sabally looks on before the game against the Dream on July 13, 2025 at Barclays Center. NBAE via Getty Images
But Sabally was never healthy enough to impact the Liberty the way she had hoped.
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Sabally had an issue flared up in her right knee just three games into the season. She was limited to 17 games total and missed all but two games after the All-Star break.
She had two injections in her knee over the course of the season, but nothing seemed to provide the long-term solutions necessary for her to play at full strength.
“We were very optimistic with her coming into the year and then her body just wouldn’t allow what her heart and mind wanted to do,” Kolb said.
Sabally averaged career highs in points (5.4) and rebounds (4.5) in her limited play this season. She has one year remaining on her rookie deal.
Leonie Fiebich, though she returned to the game, did in fact break a rib after taking a knee to the torso early in Game 3 of the first-round series, Kolb said.
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Kahleah Copper appeared to have inadvertently kneed Fiebich while going for a layup in the first quarter in Phoenix. Fiebich toppled over herself in agony. She left the game and went to the locker room for further examination.
Kolb followed her, fearing the worst. Before she had been taken back for an X-ray, Fiebich turned to Kolb and said, “I’m fine.”
The Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich looks on during the game against the Seattle Storm on July 6, 2025 at Barclays Center. NBAE via Getty Images
As Kolb waited to hear back from the team doctor, he watched the game on TV. He held his breath as he picked up his phone to hear Fiebich’s results.
“I’m on the phone and I’m hearing the words that I was fearing [which] was she has a fracture. I’m waiting for the next sentence to be, ‘And she’s out for the game.’ And I’m watching on TV and Leo is checking into the basketball game,” Kolb said.
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It was a remarkable showing of Fiebich’s toughness. She finished with three points, three rebounds and one assist in 28 minutes.
Overall, Fiebich took a big leap in her sophomore season as a permanent starter after replacing Courtney Vandersloot in the opening lineup during the 2024 playoffs.
Fiebich, for the second season in a row, was one of the league’s most efficient shooters as she averaged 8.7 points while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 42.5 percent from deep and 87.1 percent from the free-throw line.
