With WNBA free agency officially starting this weekend, the champs say goodbye to The General.
WNBA free agency has gotten off to an incredibly loud start. We’ve seen big changes in Las Vegas, Seattle, Connecticut and a lot of other places around the league. There’s also a new team in the league, and the Golden State Valkyries have started putting their team together. Free agency has been very kind to the New York Liberty over the years and they have some big decisions to make this time around.
In February 2023, Courtney Vandersloot signed a two-year contract with the Liberty. Sloot was the final piece of Jonathan Kolb’s plan to put the best roster together possible. In two seasons, Vandersloot helped the Liberty to the Commissioner’s Cup (2023) and WNBA championship (2024). And as the Liberty prepare for their championship defense, they’ll have to do it without a key contributor.
Last year was tough for Vandersloot. Her mother Jan passed away after a prolonged cancer diagnosis. She was moved from the starting lineup to the bench when the playoffs began. Although she played well in the new role given to her, it was a tough adjustment for the future Hall of Famer. She had plenty of good moments and the Liberty were still excellent with her on the court in the regular season as a starter, but with Leonie Fiebich inserted into the starting five, New York reached their final, championship winning form.
For as well as Sloot adjusted to this new role, you wondered if she would want to do it full time. But throughout the off-season, we got the sense that Courtney might be looking for a new role. When you believe you can still contribute at a high level, you want to have the opportunity to prove it. At Unrivaled media availability in mid January, Vandersloot was asked about what she’s looking for in free agency and said:
“I want to be valued, I want to be competitive – obviously, that’s why you come into this league, to compete for championships. A place that takes care of me, wants me to be there, sees what I can bring to the team. That’s most important. I want to have the ball in my hand, and to be able to create the way that I think that I can, and just be in a place that is comfortable for me and my family.”
On January 29, Annie Costiable of the Chicago Sun-Times was first to report that Sloot will be leaving New York and returning to the Chicago Sky on a one-year contract. Vandersloot and her agent later confirmed the news on social media. Courtney will be joining a Sky team that features two promising young stars, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. They also have the number three pick in the upcoming draft, and there’s debate as to what they should do with it. Since Vandersloot’s exit from Chicago in the 2023 off-season, the Sky have gone through three head coaches and a myriad of roster changes as they try and return to contention.
Photo by Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images
As Vandersloot leaves New York, she leaves with her head held high. In her two seasons with the team, she was a key part of their success. Sloot was terrific on the court and in the community with Liberty fans. Courtney always made time for the fans, did everything well and helped keep the team organized even when things were starting to fall apart. Her veteran presence helped keep things steady and she could always be counted on to make the right plays. Although her time here was short, she left enough memories to last a lifetime.
Sloot will be back in Brooklyn to receive her championship ring when the Sky come to Barclays Center on June 10. It will be a special day for Courtney and Liberty fans all over the world, including Chicago.