Liberty’s final protected spot comes down to four players — with WNBA expansion draft looming

The first major event of the WNBA offseason is about to take place.

On Friday, the Golden State Valkyries will start the process of building their 2025 roster with the league’s first expansion draft since 2008.

The Liberty, along with the other 11 WNBA teams, had to submit their list of the six protected players last week to the Valkyries.

While those lists aren’t supposed to be released, New York general manager Jonathan Kolb has a pretty obvious list of at least five players to protect. After all, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich were the starting lineup who led the Liberty to the franchise’s first WNBA title in October.

It’s the final protective spot that remains a question mark.

Should the Liberty save Nyara Sabally, who became the unlikely heroine in the winner-takes-all championship finale? Or will New York see the value in saving either veteran backups, Kayla Thornton or Courtney Vandersloot, with its last spot? What about French guard Marine Johannès or 2024 first-round pick Marquesha Davis?

Here’s a look at the case for each:

Nyara Sabally

The case for protecting Sabally is pretty straightforward. The third-year forward, whom the Liberty drafted No. 5 overall in 2022, came up huge for New York when the team needed her the most, recording 13 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals. Without her, the Liberty don’t win a title. Sabally is young and has a lot of room to grow. Investing in that potential seems worthwhile for the Liberty, especially if they want to capitalize on their open championship window before the free agency monsoon that awaits the 2026 offseason.

The case against protecting Sabally would mainly be her injury history. At 24, Sabally has already had surgery twice on her right knee after she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in 2022. Sabally also missed the first part of last season with a back issue.

From the Valkyries’ perspective, Sabally would be a premier pickup for their inaugural roster. She’s a young, versatile center who still hasn’t reached her full potential. Another added bonus is that Sabally is under a team-friendly (rookie scale) contract through the 2026 season.

Kayla Thornton 

The case for protecting Thornton would be that, even at 31 years old, she was one of only two Liberty players who played all 40 regular-season games. She also registered the team’s sixth-most minutes last season. Availability is key in any sport. Also, Thornton has provided a spark off the bench for the last two seasons for New York — something that can’t be overlooked.

The case against protecting Thornton is that she isn’t the player she used to be and is on the back end of her playing career. Her replacement could be found in free agency or the draft.

From the Valkyries’ perspective, Thornton is a nine-year veteran who could be a leader on what will likely be one of the league’s youngest teams.

Courtney Vandersloot

The case for protecting Vandersloot is complicated. Yes, she’s a reliable playmaker and a solid rebounder for her size. But Vandersloot is about to become an unrestricted free agent so protecting a player who could leave when the market opens seems silly.

The case against protecting Vandersloot has already been mentioned. She had a reduced role in the playoffs and is about to be an unrestricted free agent, meaning she could explore options elsewhere.

From the Valkyries’ perspective, Vandersloot would be a player to get in free agency — not the expansion draft. She’s a two-time WNBA champion, has led the league in assists multiple times and is a proven leader.

Marine Johannès

The case for protecting Johannès would be rooted in the fact she was the Liberty’s sixth player in 2023 and averaged the second-most points for the French national team that won silver in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The case against protecting Johannès is that the Liberty might value another player over her, considering they won a title without her. Johannès sat out the 2024 WNBA season to focus on the Olympics. Whether she’ll play in 2025 has yet to be seen.

From the Valkyries’ perspective, picking Johannès might be a risk considering her status for this season isn’t clear and there’s no guarantee she’ll play.