In a blockbuster 3 team trade, 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones is headed to the New York Liberty.
The full deal will see New York receive Jones from the Connecticut Sun, and Kayla Thornton from the Dallas Wings. Connecticut in turn will receive Rebecca Allen from the Liberty, along with New York’s 6th overall selection in the 2023 WNBA draft, and Ty Harris from Dallas. And when all is said and done the Wings will walk away with Nathasha Howard and the rights to Crystal Dangerfield from the Liberty.
Jones, 29, requested a trade to New York specifically this offseason despite having 1 more year remaining on her deal with the Sun. The 6’6” forward submitted her trade request to the team after the club brought in new head coach Stephanie White to replace the recently departed Curt Miller who left for Los Angeles.
Originally selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the number 6 pick in the 2016 WNBA draft, Jones’ rights were traded to Connecticut in exchange for 2 draft picks and Chelsea Gray.
Since then, the George Washington alum spent 6 seasons with the Sun where she’s accumulated virtually every individual award possible, but is still in search of her first WNBA championship.
A 4x WNBA All-Star, Jones has led the league in rebounding three times, while also taking home the Most Improved Player Award in 2017 and Sixth Woman of the Year in 2018. Known for her defensive presence, Jones can impact the game like few others in the league and suddenly puts the Liberty square in the mix for a league title in 2023.
“Adding Jonquel and Kayla to our roster in the prime of their careers was a can’t-miss opportunity to bolster our frontcourt on both ends of the floor,” said Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb. “JJ brings an established MVP skill set, and Kayla possesses a rare combination of defensive physicality and offensive spacing. We can’t wait to welcome them to the Liberty family and get to work on pursuing our championship goals.”
The Freeport, Bahamas native joins former number 1 overall pick Sabrina Ionescu on a Liberty squad that likely isn’t done tinkering with their roster ahead of the season.
With Sue Bird officially retired, and the Seattle Storm roster currently in limbo, rumours have been making the rounds linking New York to free agent Breanna Stewart. The club has made several unsuccessful runs at acquiring the All-WNBA Forward in the past, but with wholesale changes likely to come out West, this is perhaps their best chance to finally land the former UConn star.
While adding a 4x All-WNBA player in Jonquel Jones certainly helps open the Liberty’s window to compete, the loss of Natasha Howard isn’t an insignificant one.
The 31 year old is a 3x WNBA champion who was second in team scoring for New York in 2022 averaging 15.1pts per contest. She also led the team in rebounds per game (7.3) and blocks per game (1) as well.
Meanwhile Rebecca Allen (7pts/3.4reb/1.2ast per game in 20 minutes a night) and Crystal Dangerfield (5.4pts/2.1reb/2.5ast per game in 22.1 minutes a night) represent two rotational piece losses to the club as well.
However, in the grand scheme of things, their departures also open up additional cap space which adds further fuel to the notion that New York’s front office isn’t done making moves ahead of the WNBA draft.
With no first round pick in the upcoming draft, if the Liberty want to truly fling their championship window wide open, they’ll need to supplement their roster via free agency. And there’s no bigger name on the UFA market right now than North Syracuse native Breanna Stewart.
If the club is able to successfully lure the 2x WNBA champion back to her home state, a big 3 of Ionescu, Jones, and Stewart might be one of the most fearsome the league has seen in a longtime.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Laurie Shaull. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.