Liberty chart a new course after Brondello exit as Kolb touts 'massive opportunity'

NEW YORK — The New York Liberty entered a pivotal off-season after Sandy Brondello was dismissed as head coach, with general manager Jonathan Kolb framing the moment as a window of opportunity rather than a setback. Brondello’s departure was the first domino in a broader rebuild, and Kolb stressed on Thursday that the Liberty will be aggressive in fortifying their roster even as much about the future remains unsettled due to the stalled collective bargaining agreement.

Kolb told reporters at training camp that the organization faces a blurred but potentially transformative period. “There’s a massive opportunity ahead,” he said, noting that roster size, salary cap and expansion-draft implications remain in flux because of the unresolved CBA. “This is honestly a probably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many franchises.” He added that the window could shape the WNBA’s trajectory for years to come, with contracts and decisions potentially stretching over three or four seasons as free agency plays out across the league. He also voiced a clear expectation that the Liberty’s core remains intact for 2026. “I have the utmost confidence that they want to be back with us,” Kolb said of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones, who have all signaled plans to run it back in 2026, even as a new coach will lead the team in a new direction.

Kolb acknowledged that the audience in the coming weeks will see a retooling around a different coaching voice and a reimagined approach to both sides of the ball. The Liberty’s performance this season underscored how quickly the league can evolve; they followed a 2024 title with a first-round exit, and Brondello’s exit underscored that the front office was ready to recalibrate beyond that narrative. Kolb said the team will seek a coach who can implement an adaptable, innovative plan and tailor it to in-game changes—a reflection, he said, of a changing WNBA landscape that increasingly mirrors the NBA’s stylistic shifts.

The Liberty’s on-court identity is also in flux because of personnel health and availability. The team’s decline on defense and rebounding contributed to their downturn. After finishing as the league’s top rebounding team in 2024, New York dropped to seventh this season. Their defensive rating slipped from the top tier (95.3) last year to 100.6 this season. Kolb pointed to such issues as learning opportunities and emphasized that the next coach will be charged with recapturing the defensive tenacity that defined the team’s best seasons.

Laney-Hamilton’s season-long knee injury also loomed large. Kolb said the Liberty expect to have Betnijah Laney-Hamilton back next year after she missed every game this season. In addition, Nyara Sabally will not play this off-season while she rehabbed her right knee. Sabally, who had been the hero of Game 5 of the 2024 Finals, appeared in only 17 games this season due to recurring knee issues, despite posting career highs of 5.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game when healthy enough to contribute.

Sabally’s absence this season was a notable hurdle, but Kolb stressed that the team remains optimistic about her long-term trajectory. Sabally’s knee problems limited her impact, though she showed flashes of the form that helped New York win the 2024 title, and she has one year remaining on her rookie deal.

Injuries also touched the roster in other ways. Leonie Fiebich returned this season but suffered a rib fracture after a knee to the torso in Game 3 of the first-round series against Phoenix. The incident occurred after Kahleah Copper appeared to accidentally knee Fiebich while going for a layup in the first quarter. Fiebich’s aggressiveness remained a bright spot even as she left the arena briefly. Kolb recalled the relief he felt when Fiebich told him, “I’m fine,” after receiving initial attention. She ultimately played 28 minutes, contributing three points, three rebounds and one assist. Fiebich had established herself as a reliable, efficient shooter as a second-season starter, finishing the year with strong percentages (8.7 points per game, 48.9% from the field, 42.5% from three, 87.1% from the free-throw line).

The roster and the coaching situation will command much of the Liberty’s attention in the coming weeks. Kolb emphasized that a true system overhaul would require not just assembling talent around Stewart, Ionescu and Jones but also finding the right architect to fit that system to the evolving basketball climate. The league’s current landscape—where several teams have started to embrace more dynamic and positionless approaches on both ends of the floor—has accelerated the pace of change, and Kolb said New York cannot stand still.

As the team navigates this transition, the front office will face a delicate balancing act: maintain the established star trio’s championship window while integrating younger players and role players who can fill gaps on a roster that must absorb salary-cap questions and potential expansion-draft considerations. Kolb has signaled that the Liberty will pursue a forward-looking build, one that pairs elite talent with a coaching mind capable of quickly translating adjustments into wins.

The next coach will be asked to craft a flexible offense that can generate steady ball movement even if initial actions are disrupted by aggressive defenses, while the team shore up rebounding and effort on the boards. The evolving league dynamic has made sourcing value in free agency crucial, and Kolb’s comments indicate that the Liberty intend to capitalize on the unique window they expect to open in the next several months. The process now turns to identifying a coach who can both leverage the franchise’s veteran core and blend in younger players as the WNBA’s free-agent market and expansion considerations continue to unfold.