Kaplan’s Note: This article was written by Net Income. We’re still working out the kinks as we transition from Chorus to WordPress publishing, so in the meantime, NI will be using me, Lucas Kaplan, as a medium.
It’s about as certain as anything in the NBA this coming season: the Brooklyn Nets are going for broke. No, they’re not pulling out the stops to win. They are trying to go broke, lose as many games so they can wind up with one of three can’t-miss prospects, each seen as the equal if not a better version of Cooper Flagg. The 2026 Draft may very well be better (if not as deep) than 2025.
Tanking is for fans another chance to, literally, hit the lottery. Social media is filled with hopes that the Nets will tank “properly” this time around, unlike last year when they argue the Nets won too many games and wound up with the eighth pick and Egor Demin. Never mind that since the league instituted new rules in 2019 no team with the worst record has won the overall No. 1 nor that the last two years, the overall No. 1 has gone to a team that made the play-in.
Maybe with three superstar prospects, tanking will be more productive. Whatever.
On Wednesday, the New York Post’s Brian Lewis offered another view of purposeful losing: the effect on young players, particularly rookies. Losing can drain teenagers of their optimism and even hurt development, thus ruining the culture.
That same agent points to what happened in Philadelphia a decade ago when then-GM Sam Hinkie raised tanking to an art form — the vaunted Process, angering the league and other GMs. No one is suggesting the Nets are going to out-Hinkie Hinkie, but Lewis quotes an agent saying that tanking can harm the very culture you’re trying to create. The toxicity can linger and fester.
“A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there’s no consequences,” an agent told the Post. “You risk eroding the environment you’re trying to create. That’s what happened in Philadelphia.”
Lewis also quotes Jelani McCoy, the former NBA big man who now has his own podcast on the subject of tanking’s long term effect. McCoy thinks that the issues with the Sixers even now is the result of Hinkie’s “Process.”
“Sam Hinkie started the dogheading … just follow my lead and we’re going to do this tanking shit and get you a Ben Simmons and Jahlil Okafor and build us a contender based off dogheading,” McCoy said on his “Forgotten Seasons” podcast discussing the extended tanking and the impact it has had, “This is why they’re over there acting a damn fool now. Silly s**t only begat silly s**t.”
(Kaplan’s note: From Ben Simmons’ rookie year to the present — even after a disastrous 2024-25, choosing Tobias Harris over Jimmy Butler, the Kawhi Shot, the disintegration to dust of Embiid’s knees and Simmons’ back — the Sixers are fifth in the NBA in wins.)
The effect on the Nets rookies, who are in the formative first days of their careers, could be tough. They have all been winners in their short careers and the loss of confidence that comes with losing is a danger. There were times last season that Head Coach Jordi Fernandez, seemed frustrated with loss after loss after loss.
“You hire a coach who is all about development and culture, and Jordi [Fernández] — bless his heart — really is about all of those things. But what is he really coaching for? Who is he developing and what are they playing for?” Lewis quoted one league source who like the others wished to remain anonymous.” “And you’re not in Memphis or Sacramento. You’re in New York City. It’s a big-time city and you’re [tanking].”
There is also the danger that if this rebuild doesn’t work or work well that the losing will become endemic. the rebuild extended beyond two or three years, the franchise and its culture becoming decidedly unattractive to the stars they hope to attract.
Lewis points to other franchises where nothing seemed to work for years.
In other words, nothing is guaranteed. As Lewis notes, Finishing with the worst, second-worst or third-worst record would only give the Nets 40.1% chance of landing AJ Dybantsa, the BYU wing, Cam Boozer the Duke power forward or Darryn Peterson, the Kansas combo guard. The last two seasons, the team that made the play-in — the Atlanta Hawks in 2024 and the Dallas Mavericks in 2025 — got the overall No. 1.
Risk, of course, is at the heart of any rebuild. How much can you manage is the issue.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
It was vintage New York Liberty at the beginning of their Friday night showdown with the Dallas Wings. The last time they visited Dallas, it was July 28 and they got embarrassed by Paige Bueckers & Co., down by 30 points before applying some window dressing. New York got some revenge on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center, winning a fairly comfortable game 85-76.
But to win the season series, the Liberty would have to return to Dallas to finish off the second half of a home-and-home; fortunately for them, Bueckers would be sidelined with a back ailment. In the first quarter, they seemed rejuvenated by a rare two days between games, ready to embarrass Dallas on their home-court just as they had in 2024, when they won two contests by a combined 46 points.
With Emma Meesseman playing her third game in the sea foam, this time unrestricted by any minutes limit, New York’s offense was unstoppable with Meesseman in the middle of it…
Meesseman would post a hearty ___ statline, doing most of her damage in the first quarter. But outside of a few post-ups over helpless Dallas defenders, it wasn’t a coordinated effort to get her the ball. Meesseman unsurprisingly thrived in a fast-paced Liberty offense that didn’t allow a single offensive rebound in the first quarter, getting out in transition and whipping the ball around.
They led 28-15 after one quarter, and by the time Chris Koclanes called a timeout with seven minutes left in the second, his team was doubled up 38-19. The Liberty were on pace to score 120 points against a crappy defense who shouldn’t be able to hang with them. Balance restored.
Except, then the Liberty stopped scoring. At first it was simple regression to the mean; they stopped hitting every single open shot. But to their credit, the Wings picked it up. Rotations off the ball improved from bad to decent, and on the other end, they started crashing the offensive glass, prevent New York from getting out in transition.
The home team still trailed by 16 to start the third quarter, but ultimately won that period 23-14. Guards JJ Quinerly and Grace Berger got downhill while Arike Ogunbowale scored 12 of her 17 points in the frame. New York, no longer in cruise control, went from competitive to agitated in the blink of an eye. Even Head Coach Sandy Brondello got a rare technical foul…
“It’s no news that we struggle a little bit when we come out of the halftime,” said Leonie Fiebich. “I feel like they were a little more aggressive on both ends of the floor, and just making it really hard for us to get into our stuff. You know, they were in in our jerseys, they were pushing wherever they could, so it was really hard for us to execute.”
Brondello’s team would collect themselves, as she would play a starter-heavy lineup to begin the fourth quarter. Once and for all, they shut the door. Fiebich and Jonquel Jones each matched Meesseman’s 14 points, with the latter cashing four triples, letting Meesseman patrol the paint while she spaced out, a wonderful combination…
Corneraction from @jus242! pic.twitter.com/Ud3ZxOzQTj
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) August 9, 2025
“I love playing with JJ,” said Meesseman of her frontcourt partner. “You know, you don’t always have that connection between bigs automatically. We’ve played a couple times together already, but it’s just something that is chemistry. You just look at each other and kind of know what she’s going to do, or what she knows I’m going to do. And it’s also cool to see how much she’s grown as a leader, like vocally. She’s vocal, she talks, and she’s showing emotions. So I’m just really happy to be back on court with her.”
New York shot 38.5% from three on the night, compared to a pitiful 14.3% from a talent-deprived Dallas team, with Bueckers only able to contribute claps and handshakes. Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty with 16 points while Natasha Cloud added ten to put all five scorers in double-digits, as well as Marine Johannès’ ten points off the bench. She hit some, perhaps not big, but timely shots at the end of the third and start of the fourth, when Dallas had cut it to two possessions.
So while it wasn’t the rout revenge-minded fans may have hoped for, it was nearly a wire-to-wire victory, and New York’s third straight. A couple of victories against the Dallas Wings — especially with one of them missing Paige Bueckers — don’t mean a ton, but even without Breanna Stewart, Kennedy Burke, and Nyara Sabally, it’s clear that Emma Meesseman has leveled up the Liberty.
For the rest of the WNBA, that’s a terrifying thought.
Final Score: New York Liberty 88, Dallas Wings 77
A milestone for Sandy Brondello
New York Liberty Head Coach Sandy Brondello did not just earn a technical foul on Friday night, but her 100th victory as the leader of the franchise. She is just the second coach in Liberty history to reach that mark, and is now one victory away from passing Richie Adubato as the all-time leader.
“Obviously, it’s a great organization to be coaching for. And to get 100 wins, and this is my fourth year, it means I have a pretty good team,” said Brondello in a bit of an understatement.
Leonie Fiebich praised her as a leader, a former player who is easy to relate to, but first had to get a little ribbing in: “I was really proud of her for getting a tech today. I think that was needed, and it helps.”
Next Up
In another galaxy-brained bit of scheduling from the WNBA, the Liberty will have 36 hours to fly home and get to the arena to take on the Minnesota Lynx, in the first 2024 WNBA Finals rematch at Barclays Center. Then they’ll hit the road for three games out West, only adding to the stupidity. Anyway, tip-off against the Lynx, who are missing Napheesa Collier, is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Kaplan’s Note: This article was written by Jordan Greene. We’re still working out the kinks as we transition from Chorus to WordPress publishing, so in the meantime, some of our writers will be using me, Lucas Kaplan, as a medium.)
Sometimes, it is important to have reminders on who you are. The Liberty lost their last three games of July, then opened August with a loss to the league-worst Connecticut Sun. Dog days indeed.
Since then, they have now won two in a row, including a big 85-76 win against the Dallas Wings Tuesday night. It was particularly satisfying, because the Libs’ blowout loss to the Wings back on July 28 might have been the most demoralizing loss of the season to that point. Tonight, the Liberty take on the Wings in their last matchup of the season to see who will win the series between the two, this time in Dallas.
Where To Watch
Check out the action at 7:30 PM on ION TV.
Injuries
Breanna Stewart and Nyara Sabally continue to be absent with knee injuries, while Kennedy Burke is out for another couple weeks with a calf strain.
On the other side, young superstar Paige Beuckers is questionable for tonight’s game as she is experiencing back issues. Myisha Hines-Allen is also questionable with an ankle injury, while Tyasha Harris is out for the rest of the season after going through a procedure on her left knee.
The Game
In the win against the Wings, the frontcourt was the name of the game for the Libs. The trio of Jonquel Jones, Leonie Fiebich, and newcomer Emma Meesseman combined for 42 points and proved that Dallas was just too small for them down low.
New York’s defense proved to be a key factor as well. Arike Ogunbowale (who I have to admit is my favorite player outside of a player in a Liberty uniform) was held to just 14 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field. The name of the game today, though, will be Paige Beuckers. Bet you couldn’t guess that? She was the main catalyst the Liberty couldn’t stop. She dropped 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Beuckers’ availability having a question mark next to it, her potential absence would leave the Wings in a darker spot than it could already be in with their 8-22 season record.
Of course if she was in street clothes instead of her Wings uniform, the Liberty would be even clearer favorites even without their superstar in Breanna Stewart.
Player to Watch
Outside of Bueckers, Grace Berger played well in the Wings loss to the Liberty. Berger is currently on her third seven-day hardship contract with Dallas, and has thus far displayed real poise and athleticism, traits that could secure her a permanent spot in the WNBA as the expansion era begins. If Bueckers doesn’t play, she and point guard J.J. Quinerly will need to step up big time.
On Tuesday, Berger played a season high 21 minutes. “That was the feel. She got in, and I liked that on offense she was keeping it simple, moving the ball, and getting it where it needed to go,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com about the decision to play Berger. “She had us organized. Defensively, she competes. She’s bigger and longer than you think, she’s physical, and she can stay in plays. I thought she did a really good job at times against Cloud, even on Sabrina, just staying straight up around the rim. She brought another fight and toughness that we needed.”
From the Vault
Paige Bueckers earned her second Rookie of the Month award this week, after, averaging 18.2 PPG,
3.2 RPG, and 5.2 APG in July. She’s very, very good.
No, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier were not playing, each sidelined with injury. Both the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx played in the Central Time Zone on Friday night, having to fly eastward for ready for a 12:30 p.m. tip at Barclays Center on Sunday afternoon.
But it was the Liberty and the Lynx in a nationally televised rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals, their second matchup of the season and first on the court where the title was decided, in overtime of Game 5 no less. You knew it was going to be good.
After a neck-and-neck first quarter, the Liberty bench threw the first big punch of the night. Sandy Brondello played an unorthodox lineup to start the second, the only starters on the floor Natasha Cloud and Emma Meesseman. But Cloud hit couple jumpers while her Isabelle Harrison did real work down low…
The beloved couple and Marine Johannès, who would hit three 3-pointers and finish with ten points, created distance. None of them were present for last year’s Finals, but experienced a taste of them on Sunday. Despite a level of physicality only scorned rivals can bring, Minnesota and New York would combine for just 17 free-throws on the night. Stretches of two or three minutes would pass without a whistle, and after an adrenalized first quarter, tired legs started to show. The Liberty won the second quarter 14-11 to take a slim lead into the half, barely fending off a scoring run from Courtney Williams and the monstrous defensive impact of Alanna Smith (8/9/7/4/3).
The Liberty built an eight-point lead just after halftime, scoring on their first three possessions thanks to Emma Meesseman…
As you’d expect, Minnesota did not go quietly. Williams made another couple jumpers before picking up her fourth foul, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Cheryl Reeve’s team. She subbed Natisha Hiedeman and, soon after, DiJonai Carrington into the game; they had the same impact New York’s bench had in the first half.
Those two guards would combine for 28 points, and after a couple more leads changes, Carrington hit a three in transition to give the Lynx a 56-54 lead. Stunningly, the lead changes would end right there.
Turnovers mounted for the Liberty; they’d finish with 20 giveaways that led to 22 Minnesota points. Sandy Brondello’s team could not get the ball into the paint, but not for a lack of trying. Entry pass after entry pass went astray, intercepted by helping Lynx defenders or simply just off-target…
“Some of the passes we threw, no one was open, especially into the paint,” said Brondello. “Like, I don’t know what we’re looking at. I think we were just a little bit rattled, and we got to settle them down. I’ve got to do a better job of settling them down there.”
Jonquel Jones, who only managed seven FGAs and four free-throws in 32 minutes, further explained: “They do a really good job of just congesting the paint, making us make that skip pass. And I think tonight we didn’t — I don’t think we made the skip pass maybe two times, and we tried to force it into paint.”
Much credit must also go to Minnesota’s guards, who applied physicality and ball-pressure on the perimeter, blowing up New York’s initial actions and forcing them into slacking possessions where the only way out was a prayer of an entry pass.
Natasha Cloud acknowledged the pattern: “It is the tale of the second half for us, where we get stagnant.”
Sabrina Ionescu was the recipient of much of Minnesota’s ball pressure, shooting 4-of-15 with four turnovers. But Ionescu was a bit more positive after the game: “To be honest, I think it’s one of those things where it’ll be great [that] you can kind of go back, watch film, and understand ways that you can attack it. And, you know, continuing to find ways to get downhill and attack the rim.”
But the Liberty should not have to go through such a poor second half, yet again, to learn these lessons. The Lynx shot 10-of-21 from deep to New York’s 8-of-24, and you can look at the box score and blame it on that good ol’ shooting variance, but it didn’t feel like misfortune. The Lynx earned it.
New York’s two-point deficit grew to five, then eight, then ten, and suddenly, they were calling timeout down 15 in the fourth quarter. Emma Meesseman, ever the savior, didn’t have the answers this Sunday; the Lynx forced her into four ugly turnovers as well. It was a true team loss, despite Harrison’s strong play in the first half, as well as Natasha Cloud’s positive minutes.
As you’d expect, there was no panic, only bristling at the suggestion that the 27-5 Minnesota Lynx might have something the 20-11 Liberty don’t.
“I’m not answering that question,” said Jonquel Jones.
It’s a fair response. The Liberty and Lynx had the same unfortunate lack of rest, but games like this happen over the course of a compressed, injury-riddled regular season. They are still unimpeachable title contenders. But has this happened too often to the Liberty? Can we hand-wave it away? Are the standards too high, or too low for a team trying to repeat as champions?
“Minnesota, just right now, have played a little harder and more intentional than we did today.” — Sandy Brondello.
Final Score: Minnesota Lynx 83, New York Liberty 71
Breanna Stewart injury update
Prior to Sunday’s action, Breanna Stewart spoke with reporters for the first time since suffering a bone bruise in her right knee against the Los Angeles Sarks on July 26. The injury has caused Stewart to miss New York’s last seven contests, including Sunday’s, and she’ll miss a few more.
Reporting states that the Liberty hope to welcome the 2023 WNBA MVP back by the end of August, a target date that Stewie affirmed on Sunday: “I think so. I think that like, the exact date, we don’t have it. It just depends on how well I progress. But I’m hoping — I’m on ’em, I’m on the training staff to let me be back, to free me a little bit. But definitely, like, before my birthday (August 27th), that’s a non-negotiable. I have to be back before my birthday.”
For Stewie to get the birthday present both she and Liberty fans would die for, there’s still some work to do: “I mean, I think my next two weeks, it’s just going to be really getting the cardio, that part of things, back into place, and then progressing the on-court workouts to get into playing. Also then, when I do come into the game, it’s not as much of a change. Obviously, some things you can’t recreate, but as close to that so there’s kind of no restrictions. It’s just about, like, keeping the load lower.”
But overall, a positive update for Breanna Stewart. There seems to be no danger that this is a season-ending sort of injury, rather it’s likely the Liberty are making sure she’s truly 100% before she comes back, just as they did with Jonquel Jones’ ankle injury earlier in the season.
Breathe out.
Tari Phillips inducted into Ring of Honor
During halftime, the New York Liberty inducted the Tari Phillips into the Ring of Honor, the eighth player to receive the honor. It was a short but touching ceremony, and the packed Barclays Center crowd made sure Phillips felt the love…
“I’d like to thank the fans,” said Phillips. “You love me. You love me. You accepted me here, and I thank you for that. I thank you for all the times that you’ve been here, and I love you guys for that.”
Phillips, the eighth overall pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft, spent five of her nine seasons with the Liberty, making four consecutive All-Star teams in that span. In 2000, her inaugural season with the team, New York would once again lose to the Houston Comets in the Finals, but Phillips had a heck of a playoff run, averaging 16/8/1/2/1 over seven games.
The 6’2” forward was — and still is — a fan-favorite for playing her ass off every night. The intensity, before anything else, is what her former teammates harp on, and many of them were in attendance on Sunday, which capped off Legends Weekend for the franchise…
LOVE TO OUR LIBERTY LEGENDS
A special thank you for paving the waypic.twitter.com/a5c10sY1yk
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) August 10, 2025
New York may have lost, but halftime was a truly special moment for a franchise legend.
Next Up
The New York Liberty are headed out West, playing the Los Angeles Sparks in the first leg of a back-to-back on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET.
Around this time last year, there was an abundance of talk about the Brooklyn Nets trading Mikal Bridges for “a bunch of middle schoolers.” Dariq Whitehead, Drew Timme, and Tyson Etienne recently spent some time bettering the Brooklyn community, and just maybe scouting for those picks in the process.
Last week, the three Nets made a surprise appearance at a Brooklyn Basketball Camp at Hellenic Classical Charter School near Park Slope. Each spent time chatting with the youth in attendance, answering questions, giving advice, and cheering everyone on.
“Being able to be in the community, with the kids, being in Brooklyn, I think it’s special,” said Etienne. “To be able to contact those kids and let them know that we’re an arms reach away, to inspire them. Maybe it’s somebody here one day that might play on the Brooklyn Nets, you never know. But I think us being able to come in here and talk to them, talk about the game, I think that’s really important, and I’m just glad to be a part of it, especially with my dog Drew.”
“It’s always good seeing kids getting to play basketball,” Timme added. “It’s a game that brought us so much joy, and to see that joy with them, and to see how happy that we can make them just by showing up for a little bit, it’s super rewarding and it reminds you why we work as hard as we do.”
Both Timme and Etienne suited up for Brooklyn in Las Vegas this year. However, this is the first we’ve heard from Whitehead in some time. Despite wanting to play in the tournament, his agent and Sean Marks agreed he should sit out to ensure he’s at full health going into the 2025-26 campaign.
“I feel like it’s everything that I didn’t have growing up…for them to want to play basketball and be in this profession, to have a guy who’s an NBA player here, for them to ask me any question they want, there’s no limitations to the questions they can ask me, I feel like that will help them a long way,” Whitehead said.
With an abundance of new competition on the roster following a historic draft which saw the Nets add five rookies via the first round, the upcoming season feels like a pivotal one for Whitehead, who dealt with a series of lower body injuries during his rookie and sophomore years. He’s appeared in a collective 22 games in two years, but has shot 42.9% from three on 3.5 attempts per game in said appearances.
The same can also be said of Etienne and Timme, arguably to a greater extent. Each are on non-guaranteed deals, with Etienne holding one of the team’s three two-way slots. Another is held by Tosan Evbuomwan, while the final one remains up for grabs.
On the topic of contracts, Ricky Council IV and Fanbo technically remain unsigned. While it’s been reported that the Nets intend to each, official announcements are still pending, although they should be announced this week.
There’s surely more to come on the youth basketball front for Brooklyn as well. Roughly two months ago, BSE Global announced the launch of its youth hoops facility in the abandoned Modell’s store across from Barclays Center, set to open this fall. The 18,600-square foot training facility will include two full courts and a half court, a “‘shooting lab’ half court, auxiliary baskets, multi-purpose court flooring for other events, “cutting-edge technology,” and “expert.”
Is it time to panic? Is Cam Thomas set to throw in the towel and exercise his qualifying offer? Not yet, according to multiple league sources who spoke to NetsDaily. Let’s review:
In Sunday evening’s Off-Season Report, we chronicled NBA insider Jake Fischer’s belief that Cam Thomas is the “most likely” of his bedfellows in restricted free agency to take the qualifying offer, adding, “Brooklyn has not made an aggressive effort to retain Thomas on any long-term deal, sources say. Sources also say Thomas is showing an increasing interest in playing out next season on a $6 million qualifier for the right to enjoy true free agency next summer.”
On Monday morning, ESPN released a primer covering “the seven biggest names” that are still unsigned and where exactly they stand. Tim Bontemps wrote about Cam Thomas, and in doing so, reiterated Fischer’s belief that Thomas is the “most likely” restricted free agent to take the one-year, $6 million qualifying offer allowing him to enter unrestricted free agency next season. The noise grows louder.
By every indication, Thomas and the Nets remain miles apart, though the team’s side of negotiations is murkier than that of CT and his camp. Amid the stream of Fischer and Bontemps’ reporting, one league source told NetsDaily where Thomas sees his market, using comparable players around the league:
- Jalen Green, making $33.3 million per year until 2027-28, when he has a $36 million player option
- Immanuel Quickley, making $32.5 million over the next four years
- Tyler Herro averaging $32 million over the next two years
“That’s where he sees his market, if not higher,” said the source.
It’s easy to understand these reference points for Thomas, the second-youngest player of the four behind Green. A quick snapshot of their career DPM, a nerd-favorite all-in-one metric whose methodology can be explained here, suggests these four players are in the same ballpark. The market is not…
This suggests Thomas is searching for an annual salary starting at $30 million, likely closer to $40 million. It’s unclear what Brooklyn has put on the table, but you can be sure it’s not that.
And yet, according to league sources, nothing indicates the Nets are worried about losing Cam Thomas. Armed with plenty of cap space and roster flexibility (of their many training camp invites, only ten are on fully guaranteed contracts), there is no rush to find a deal for CT, just as there wasn’t in July. The deadline to accept a qualifying offer is October 1, though could be extended to March 1. Brooklyn does not seem to believe Thomas would pull that trigger, and almost certainly expects to engage further with Thomas over the coming weeks.
In other words: The Brooklyn Nets don’t appear to be panicking, and though their offers will start at much lower numbers than CT’s, they have all the leverage. Even non-apron teams can only offer Thomas the midlevel exception, which can run for a maximum of four years starting at $14.1 million with 5% annual raises.
Brooklyn, of course, would have the right to match any such offer given Thomas’ status as a restricted free agent, and given Fischer’s previous reporting that they’ve offered the 23-year-old guard a two-year deal around the value of the MLE ($29 million) it seems likely they would do so. But they’re not going to bid against themselves. No team is.
This all feels precarious. The Brooklyn Nets and Cam Thomas, who didn’t exactly have the steadiest partnership over his four-year rookie contract, are worlds apart now that it’s time to determine his value once more. Thomas seems — for good reason — frustrated by the situation. He’s fighting just to get half the annual salary some of his counterparts cruised to. (Restricted free agency, if I may editorialize, is truly terrible for the players.)
So, are they headed for the iceberg? Is CAMAGEDDON? Is this becoming an untenable situation, or will the Brooklyn Nets find a contract for CT in the coming weeks, allowing business to continue as usual? The stream of reporting from Fischer and Bontemps, in a typically barren August no less, may suggest an explosive conclusion is coming soon.
But, after talking to various league sources, we must ask if that’s likely, given how much time there is left to negotiate. Whenever Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets return to the negotiating table, they’ll still be far apart. But that doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Photo by Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images
More work to be done. The New York Liberty took on the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center as those two rivals re-acquainted themselves with each other. The Liberty started strong, but a string of turnovers and incredibly timed Minnesota buckets doomed them to a tough home loss. The Liberty are at second place in the standings, but the Phoenix Mercury and Atlanta Dream are breathing down their necks.
The opponent tonight has been on a big run as of late. The Los Angeles Sparks have fought their way back into the playoff race after a slow start and have a great chance of capturing the eight seed. Their game went down to the wire against the Seattle Storm on Sunday night, and Dearica Hamby hit the game winner to give them the win. LA is now only one half game behind Seattle for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Where to follow the game
MY9 on TV. Liberty Live and Fox Local on streaming. League Pass for the outsiders. Late night affair so we’re getting started after 10 PM.
Injuries
No Breanna Stewart, Nyara Sabally, or Kennedy Burke, per usual. But late Monday, the team announced that Isabelle Harrison is in concussion protocol and did not travel with the team. The avalanche continues.
On the other hands, it’s all clear for the Sparks.
The game
LA won the first meeting. Perhaps you remember the ending…
RICKEA JACKSON GAME-WINNER.
Sparks win their 5th straight game!
pic.twitter.com/94L55ieUjE
— NBA (@NBA) July 27, 2025
The Liberty have been running ragged for a while, and it’s not about to get any easier. This is the first leg of a three game road trip, and the first night of a back-to-back. They’re off to Las Vegas tomorrow night for a showdown with the Aces. No rest for the weary.
You see the vision with Rickea Jackson, but the results haven’t consistently been there as of yet. The shooting percentages are down compared to last year, but it can be attributed to an increase in three point attempts. She’s still just 24 years old and has made tangible gains from her rookie to sophomore season, so it’s all a part of the process.
The guard matchup should be exciting. Kelsey Plum has been on a tear since the beginning of July as LA has fought their way up the standings. KP is averaging 18.9 points on .465/.405/.910 in a league leading 35.1 minutes per game across that stretch. Plum is hell on wheels and is seventh among guards in field goals attempted inside the restricted area. On the other side, Sabrina Ionescu is looking to bounce back from a shaky Sunday outing. Ionescu has been cold from the field as she’s shot just 30.5 percent from the field over the past three games. Ionescu had a ton of success in the first LA matchup as she tuned the Sparks up to the tune of 30/8/6/4 in 36 minutes. If she can do it again, the Liberty have a great chance of getting this road trip off to a good start.
Player to watch: Cameron Brink
Amazingly, this is the first time the Liberty will be seeing Brink. In 2024, Cam tore her ACL against the Connecticut Sun, one game before she was to face the Liberty. This year, she made her return the game after the Sparks played the Liberty. And now, she gets to face off against the champs. Brink has gotten back to business and has already blocked 13 shots in just six games. The potential is through the roof and as Edwin Garcia wrote over at Silver Screen and Roll:
LA is knocking on the door of a playoff spot. Can they get Brink out there a little more while not putting too much on her plate? We’ll see.
With Harrison now out, Jonquel Jones will probably cross the 30 minute plateau tonight. With this being the first leg of a road back-to-back, it’s not something Sandy Brondello wants to do, but she might have to. JJ has been solid since returning from the second ankle sprain. New York struggled getting the ball into the post against the Lynx, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on how they run their offense and get into their secondary actions.
From the Vault
It’s WNBA rivalry week, so let’s revisit the best rivalry of the 2010s…
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It’s well-established which side of the ball the Los Angeles Sparks, who rank 4th in the WNBA in offense and 11th in defense, butter their bread on. But you really have to see it to believe it.
The New York Liberty are familiar. Rickea Jackson stood in the paint at the west end of Barclays Center on July 26, every muscle flexing, ready to scream, celebrating one of the highlights of her young career after hitting a buzzer-beating game-winner to even the series with New York at one apiece…
Note that the final score there was 101-99, kicking off a four-game losing streak for the Liberty in which their opponents averaged 93 points a night. Not great.
The circumstances would be even tougher for the rubber match on Tuesday night. New York flew across the country — after playing Sunday — with just eight available players after Isabelle Harrison was left behind in concussion protocol, though Kennedy Burke did put on the uniform in case of emergency. And they’d have to play on Wednesday night in Las Vegas; this was just the first half of a back-to-back following an annoying loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
In other words, this was their chance to get a win. It didn’t start well.
Los Angeles led 30-28 after one period, not a worrisome deficit but worrisome but for the quality of defense. Another shootout against the offensive-minded Sparks seemed a sure thing, especially with New York defending Kelsey Plum like this, unsure of what the coverage even was…
Everything KP touches is gold.@Kelseyplum10 x @WNBA pic.twitter.com/hDG5uC1mGa
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) August 13, 2025
Maybe the available players were conserving energy. Maybe they knew one injury was one too many, or maybe they were saving themselves for the Las Vegas Aces. Example: Jonquel Jones will have to guard A’ja Wilson on Wednesday night; on Tuesday, she hardly broke a sweat defensively.
At least she made up for it on the other end. She scored 14 of her 21 points in a blistering hot first half, hitting 3-points, post fade-aways, and rolling to the rim. But every Lib got in on the offensive action. Once again, all five starters hit double-digits, and at no point did L.A. seem prepared to slow them down. (The one woman who could have stopped them, Cameron Brink, played just five minutes before having her ankle wrapped and tunneling between the locker room and the bench for the rest of the game.)
New York raced ahead in the second quarter, finally playing some defense and getting pretty lucky that the Sparks were not as hot from three as they were. After Jackson’s breakout performance in NY, she shot just 7-of-20 in this one, including 2-of-10 from three. They took a 50-44 lead into the break after their bench, albeit depleted, outplayed the opponent for the second straight game.
But the similarities between Sunday’s loss and Tuesday’s game continued into the third quarter. The Liberty are the only team that can stop themselves, Head Coach Sandy Brondello likes to say, and they almost obliged again. Preventable turnovers kept L.A. in reach…
…and New York never quite pushed it to double-digits. Of course, their own halfcourt defense was the primary suspect.
But ultimately, it didn’t matter. They were crisp enough — Brondello deserves some credit here too, it felt like the Liberty scored on every set play — to take advantage of a Sparks defense that had no pride. I wish (not really) there was a nicer way to say it. Emma Meesseman was the star of the second half, and would ultimately lead the Liberty with 24 points in addition to nine boards and four assists. She shot 9-of-15 and 6-of-7 from the line, and while she continued to display solid chemistry with Sabrina Ionescu (14/3/6) in the pick-and-roll, most of her buckets came from manhandling mismatches down low…
A switch, a post-up, minimal help, and a bucket. Not a surprising formula, is it?
“I think our approach was a little different, and we paid more attention to details,” said Meesseman postgame. “So it made it easier for me to, you know, kind of read more of what’s happening on the court. And hopefully game by game is going to be like that.”
Sandy Brondello acknowledged that, despite LA’s length, it’s not too hard to gameplan when you have a frontcourt as talented as hers: “They’re switching and doing a whole lot of different things, but just their individual brilliance and talent does the rest. It’s just about just getting the ball into them, and there, they’re making the plays out of it.”
Los Angeles couldn’t defend Leonie Fiebich either, who finished with her second 20-point game of the season. Like the other matchups, they brought minimal help for a smaller defender, Kelsey Plum in this case. Fiebich and her teammates attacked that matchup with great success…
Said Brondello: “Obviously they had Plum on Leo, and that was a favorable matchup for us … we just love the versatility that she brings. And I thought she was really aggressive to the rim. You know, I thought last game we didn’t get her in enough action, and she wasn’t wasn’t as aggressive as we would like her to be.”
This is the Fiebich question of the season, if she can manage her fatigue and defensive assignments with enough offensive aggression. Her coaches and teammates have occasionally begged for it this in 2025; on Tuesday, they got it.
And they did get the win they desperately needed. The Sparks fought the only way they know how (playing offense), but it wasn’t enough. They cut it to a possession or two here and there, but mostly stayed an arm’s length away until the final buzzer.
New York shot a preposterous 56% from the field and 50% from three. It won’t always be that easy to score, but it’s nice when it is. As for the defense, well, just focus on the win.
Final Score: New York Liberty 105, Los Angeles Sparks 97
Injury report
Sandy Brondello didn’t have much information on Izzy Harrison, back in New York in concussion protocol: “I didn’t find out until after the press conference of the last game… all these post players going down, it’s been a tough run. Not sure when [the injury occurred], could’ve been the game before and didn’t think much of it.”
Thus, one of Meesseman or Jones was on the court at all times on Tuesday, and it’ll be that way for the foreseeable future. As for Kennedy Burke, she put on the uniform but was never expected to get it the game. That could change Wednesday, though, as she targets a return from her calf injury. It’ll likely be a game-time decision for KB.
Brondello makes history
Sandy Brondello entered postgame media with wet hair and a big ol’ smile. That’s because she won her 101st game as head coach of the New York Liberty, the most in franchise history. Only fitting for the only head coach with a ring…
After praising the organization and the incredible talent she gets to coach, Brondello was asked another question about the milestone. She had to laugh: “I don’t really get into this kind of stuff. Obviously, it’s nice. It means we’re winning. But, you know, I’m more about just trying to win this game more than any kind of records, and how we continue to get better, and getting ready for Vegas.”
Next Up
A quickly fading rivalry nonetheless takes center stage during WNBA Rivalry Week. The uneven Las Vegas Aces welcome a very tired New York Liberty team to Sin City on ESPN, where both teams will be very focused on their own issues. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET.
Defense not optional. The New York Liberty opened up their three game road trip with a night time party against the Los Angeles Sparks. Nobody played any defense and the Liberty did just enough to walk out of LA with the win. No time to celebrate since the level of competition will jump a few notches tonight.
The opponent tonight is still hanging around despite everything. The Las Vegas Aces have had some incredibly LOUD losses in 2025, but they’re still in the thick of the playoff picture. They helped themselves immensely with home win against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday night.
Where to follow the game
ESPN is the place to be. Tip after 9:30 PM.
Injuries
No Breanna Stewart, Nyara Sabally, or Isabelle Harrison. Kennedy Burke will suit up, and it appears she’ll be making her return to action after being out with a calf injury.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is on maternity leave.
The game
New York won the first and second meetings. This is the final regular season matchup between these two clubs.
As the second scoring option, All-Star, and replacement for Kelsey Plum, Jewell Loyd has been an unmitigated disaster. She wasn’t assertive as a starter, often found herself stuck in the corners watching while her teammates tried to make things happen, and just could not put a consistent run of good hoops together. As a player coming off the bench? Very, very, very good! In seven games coming off the bench, Loyd is averaging close to 15 points a night on .452/.412/.889 shooting splits. Although she doesn’t start, she’s someone that can be on the court down the stretch and can be trusted to make big plays. It takes time for star players to find their footing in a new city, and it looks like Loyd has finally gotten used to her new environment.
When you try to hide a weaker defender on Leonie Fiebich, bad things happen. The Sparks learned that the hard way when they had Kelsey Plum guarding her. When Fiebich is an active participant in the offense, she makes the Liberty next to impossible to beat. She does everything well and her size creates mismatches every possession down.
The big focus for Leo tonight will be defending Chelsea Gray. Gray hasn’t had any success against the Liberty since Fiebich joined the team and Leo has consistently made things difficult for the future Hall of Famer.
Considering the level of opponent, look for the Liberty defense to be a lot more dialed in tonight. Having Kennedy Burke back will help immensely as KB can guard multiple positions and allow for everyone else on the roster to get a bit of a breather. The team has been running ragged for a while and anybody who can provide good minutes will be a lifesaver.
Player to watch: A’ja Wilson
It’s only right we focus here after Wilson secured the first 30/20 game in WNBA history. She’s had to do everything to keep this Aces franchise afloat, and damn it she’s done it. Wilson leads the W in blocks and is second in points and rebounds. Amazingly, she’s doing all that in just 30.5 minutes per game. Wilson is everything you could ever want in a franchise player and has made the Aces respectable despite everything going on with them this season. She left the second Liberty matchup early due to an injury, so we’ll get to see the former MVP at the peak of her powers tonight.
The Liberty dynamic duo will draw this matchup tonight. Jonquel Jones and Emma Meesseman were outstanding last night and will handle all the center minutes with Isabelle Harrison in concussion protocol. Despite some loud lapses on defense, Jones was otherwise excellent as her 21/11/3/2 set the tone for the Liberty offense early on. Meesseman has continued to get comfortable with her new team and had 24/9/4/1. She’s always in the right place at the right time and for a Liberty team that is looking to find the right lineup mix to repeat as WNBA champions, Meesseman’s presence and excellence will give Sandy Brondello plenty of options to work with.
From the Vault
The last time the Liberty touched down in Vegas, it was a party
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