Liberty recruit Stewart, Storm change coaches
Big news drops as we head into the weekend
On Friday, we were bombarded with a couple of big news items related to the Storm. First, a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports announced that Breanna Stewart met with the New York Liberty including team owners Joe and Clara Tsai, the front office staff, and Head Coach Sandy Brondello.
Breanna Stewart is a native of Syracuse, New York, and played her high school basketball there before attending UConn and winning four National Championships with the Connecticut Huskies.
No real surprise this news set WNBA Twitter on fire with Storm fans panicking and New York fans fantasizing about Stewart bringing multiple championships to the Liberty franchise while teaming up with Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney.
We even got a photoshopped version of Breanna Stewart in the New York Liberty outfit.
Should the Storm be concerned?
My initial belief is … NO. Breanna Stewart was pretty outright in her desire to come back to Seattle and play for the Storm next season during the 2021 exit interviews.
It’s been posted in one of my recent articles but here it is again in case you want the reminder.
“It is kind of crazy that I’m actually a free agent. But Seattle’s always been my home. It’s where I’ve grown up, it’s where my career has continued to blossom. I plan on being back unless something crazy happens. We have more things to do here.” Stewart told the Seattle media during exit interviews.
Obviously, Stewart refers to Seattle as her home (since becoming an adult and getting out of college) which is true. While she didn’t grow up as a kid here in Seattle, she has grown up a lot as an adult since 2016.
Next, Sue Bird is coming back. Breanna Stewart begged Sue to come back after they won their first Championship together in 2018. The team won another title again in 2020. Stewart has been quoted as saying she wishes she and Sue entered the league at the exact same time so they could play their entire careers together. Stewie loves playing with Sue Bird.
Bird recently announced she’s coming back to play for one more year in 2022. It’s extremely unlikely that Bird would be doing that if she felt Breanna Stewart was leaving to go play for another team. I can only imagine that Bird had at least some assurances from Stewart and possibly Loyd as well which helped make her decision to return for one more shot at a 5th WNBA Championship.
So if we’re pretty certain Breanna Stewart is returning to the Storm in 2022 then why is she off visiting other teams like the New York Liberty some might ask.
There are three reasons that make a lot of sense to me. The most logical theory to me is that Breanna Stewart is a true free agent for the first time in her career and let’s say her intention is to sign a Supermax contract with the Seattle Storm for three or four years this off-season. If she does that, she isn’t going to be a free agent again until she’s 30 or 31. And while she’d still be in her prime at that age, these next 3-4 years for Stewart will likely be her absolute best! So before she does sign that deal with the Storm, why not go get the Red Carpet treatment? Get wined and dined and recruited by other WNBA organizations to see what they offer. At a minimum, by doing so she can at least figure out her options and hear other teams’ pitches while also likely being treated very well on her free agent trip(s). Even if she doesn’t intend to leave, getting that experience in itself is likely very fun and informative. If she is going to sign a long-term deal with the Storm then why shouldn’t she take advantage of this situation here and now?
The next reason could be that Breanna Stewart sees other WNBA players like Candace Parker going home to Chicago to win a title and is interested in bringing a WNBA Championship to her home state of New York. The Liberty, despite being one of the original eight WNBA teams to begin play back in 1997, have never won the title before. Stewart could become an even bigger legend in the state of New York if she joined the Liberty and helped bring home their first championship.
The final reason I can think of right now really goes hand-in-hand with reason number two. Some people are speculating that this recruiting trip might not be about 2022 but rather 2023 (or perhaps 2024). Maybe the Liberty acknowledge Stewart isn’t going to leave the Storm this year with Sue Bird returning for one final season. But there’s nothing stopping them from pitching Stewart on her plans in a post-Sue Bird World. With Bird likely retiring after this season and Jewell Loyd’s long-term status with the franchise still up in the air until she signs a new contract with the Storm, Breanna Stewart may have to consider what’s the best move for her future. Does she stay in Seattle, possibly having to endure a rebuild after Bird retires, or would she prefer to go to another team like the Liberty that has Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, and her old teammates in Natasha Howard and Sami Whitcomb? That could be an attractive pitch by the Liberty’s front office. And it’s up to the Storm’s ownership, general manager, and coaches to pitch Stewart on their long-term vision for multiple championships here in Seattle.
I will be shocked if Stewart leaves Seattle in 2022. But what will really make things interesting is the type of contract that Stewart signs (assuming she does return to the Storm). Does she sign a Supermax deal that lasts at least three seasons? Or does she only sign a one-year deal? Leaving the possibility for her to move to another franchise during the next free agency period.
Lastly, I think if Seattle wasn’t really confident Stewart would be returning to play for the Storm in 2022, then I believe they would have used the Core (franchise) tag on her. I believe the team opted to use the core tag on Loyd because of how confident they were that Stewart would return. Was that the correct choice? I wrote previously that I thought it was. But only time will tell once the contracts are signed!
Coaching changes in Seattle!
The crazy Breanna Stewart free agency news wasn’t the only thing that happened on Friday. The Storm officially announced that two new assistant coaches would be joining Coach Noelle Quinn’s staff. And they also announced that two previous coaches, Coach Gary Kloppenberg (Defensive coach) and Coach Ryan Webb (Player Development), would not be on the staff this season.
I’m sorry to see them go because I know both guys are great coaches and have done a tremendous amount for the organization over the years. Coach Kloppenburg specifically was always really good to me during media sessions. And he was also so humble praising the players, especially during his run to the 2020 WNBA Championship when he had to take over for Coach Dan Hughes.
Change is inevitable however and change brings in two hard-working women in Pokey Chatman and Ebony Hoffman that will join Coach Noelle Quinn’s staff.
“I’m very excited to add Pokey and Ebony to our coaching staff. Both women are passionate about the game and are exceptional teachers. They know what it takes to win at all levels and can help continue the championship culture in Seattle.” Coach Quinn said in a statement.
Chatman is well-liked by players and fans around the WNBA. She has had a successful career as a WNBA head coach with Chicago and Indiana and a college head coach at LSU.
Chatman led the Sky to their first WNBA Finals appearance back in 2014 and really built part of the foundation for the team that ultimately won the title in 2021.
There was speculation Chatman might become the new head coach of one of the WNBA teams that had a recent opening but ultimately those jobs went to other coaches. So in stepped Seattle and Quinn to bring her back into the WNBA.
Chatman should be able to help Quinn out significantly.
Perry Huang is the only assistant coach returning from last season.
You can read the Storm’s official announcement here.
Free Agents visiting Seattle
From the sound of things Seattle has been pretty busy trying to do some recruiting of their own. Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times has mentioned that the Storm are having meetings with Courtney Vandersloot and Stefanie Dolson of the Chicago Sky. Both players are Unrestricted Free Agents and have already had several suitors.
Another report had linked Briann January to the Storm. But I’m still looking to gather more information on that. January is also an Unrestricted Free Agent having last played with the Connecticut Sun. January is known as one of the best defensive guards in the WNBA. She is also a native of Spokane, Washington.
Mad Kiki should be ready for the 2022 season!
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan was the off-season acquisition I was most excited about last year. Seattle traded their extra 2022 first-round pick they got from New York via Phoenix to Minnesota for Kiki Herbert Harrigan. However, Visa travel issues kept Herbert Harrigan away for almost all of training camp. And during the first month of the season, it was announced that she was expecting a baby and would be sidelined the rest of the year.
I wasn’t 100% certain Herbert Harrigan would be ready to go to begin this season so I was happy to hear she’s playing in the brand new Athletes Unlimited basketball league. It is a new league starting up just now that allows WNBA players and other women basketball players the opportunity to stay in the United States and play during the WNBA’s off-season. She spoke on Friday about how excited she was to be back out on the court.
Mercedes Russell is also playing in this new league instead of traveling overseas.
Vote for Jewell Loyd!
Storm fans, don’t forget to vote for Jewell Loyd for Seattle’s Sports Star of the Year Awards. Jewell is nominated for Sports Star of the Year (Women’s sports category). You can vote at the link below.
87th Annual Sports Star of the Year Awards
Final Notes: Thanks for all the support! If you’re not already, consider becoming a paid subscriber this season to receive all the perks including more off-season articles covering free agency, any trades, and the draft. As well as thorough game recaps after every single game this season.
So now that we know it's a 1 year deal for Stewart, I wonder if she can be cored after this year?