Breanna Stewart narrows choices to Storm, Liberty
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M.A. VoepelESPN.com
Free agent forward Breanna Stewart has narrowed her choices down to staying with the Seattle Storm or going to the New York Liberty, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.
It was reported by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne earlier this month that Stewart wanted to meet with the Storm, Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics. Stewart narrowing her choices down was first reported by Winsidr.
Free agents can officially sign with teams starting Wednesday. Two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker already has announced she is leaving the Chicago Sky for the Las Vegas Aces.
Stewart, a two-time WNBA champion who was the Storm’s No. 1 draft pick in 2016, is the most high-profile free agent. Now 28, she was the league’s MVP in 2018 and is facing free agency in her peak years. She has averaged 20.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in her six-season WNBA career, having missed the 2019 season with an Achilles injury.
It’s been thought all along that the Liberty were the biggest threat to lure Stewart away from Seattle, where she won championships in 2018 and 2020. Stewart is from Syracuse, New York, and played collegiately at UConn, where she won four NCAA titles.
There also has been speculation that Stewart’s decision could be tied to that of Chicago guard Courtney Vandersloot, if both wanted to play on the same team.
Stewart has played alongside point guard Sue Bird during her WNBA career, but Bird retired after last season. Vandersloot is one of the league’s premier point guards, leading the WNBA in assists per game for six seasons, including from 2017 to 2021.