As the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx face each other in the WNBA Finals, Breanna Stewart, who made it into the 2024 All-WNBA First team alongside Caitlin Clark, opened up about her future.
“I am under a one-year [contract], and I’m going to sign another one-year,” Stewart told reporters, via USA Today’s Meghan L. Hall during Tuesday’s Final press conference. “It gives me flexibility moving forward,” she said.
The Liberty superstar forward, who is set to enter free agency this offseason, signed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract worth $205,000 after New York’s loss in the 2023 Finals. Given the Liberty’s decision to use their “core” designation on her, Stewart’s return for the season was never in question.
Under WNBA rules, a team can core a player for two consecutive seasons, retaining exclusive negotiating rights. “It’s hard to tell what’s next with opt-ins and opt-outs, but I don’t mind the one-years. I’m going to burn my core,” she said.
Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty brings the ball up the court against the Las Vegas Aces (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Stewart referred to potential shifts with the league’s new TV deal. Back in July, the WNBA announced a new 11-year deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC for $200 million a year. Meanwhile, the players can opt out of their collective bargaining agreement.
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Negotiations on-going between Union and WNBA
The players’ union and the league face a Nov. 1 deadline to opt out of their current collective bargaining agreement. With players pushing for higher salaries in light of the upcoming new TV deal, it’s expected they will choose to opt out before the deadline to negotiate more favorable terms.
According to Associated Press, Breanna Stewart, who is vice president of the players’ union, said that meetings have “been good, a lot of communication, things that we want to be better, the time is coming,” Stewart said.
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“It’s a hard thing to navigate while the season is still happening. I think that we’re pretty much in a place where we know what we want to do,” she said. “Once we do do it, having the conversation of how much of an uphill battle is this going to be going into the new season,” she added.
