Liberty lost the turnover battle by 18 in the sweep. Here are 5 moves I'd make as GM

By Ryan MoalemiOctober 12, 2026

Updated October 13, 2026: The Stewart contract report now cites Newsweek, because the Sports Condensed page did not return the article.

Atlanta swept the New York Liberty in the semifinals, 92-82, 101-98 in overtime, and 85-83, while shooting worse, 42.0% to 47.1%. The Dream attempted 33 more shots. New York committed 18 more turnovers and collected nine fewer offensive rebounds. Three games are a small sample. The five moves are: keep the five, trade for Elizabeth Williams, give Pauline Astier and Marine Fauthoux a real share of the offense, draft Oluchi Okananwa, and set spending limits before the last spots are filled.

I would keep Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Satou Sabally, and Leonie Fiebich, offer a second-round pick for Williams, play Astier and Fauthoux beside Ionescu, use the No. 8 pick on Okananwa if she is available, and set the budget before filling the rest of the roster.

#1. Keep the five and address the lost possessions

Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Satou Sabally, and Leonie Fiebich would all return. The case for keeping them starts with what happened against the Atlanta Dream.

Jonquel Jones had 26 points and 14 rebounds in the elimination game. I would look for someone who can cover her rest minutes before shopping her. Sabally's return would also change the available lineups. The Liberty ruled her out for the rest of the season after a concussion (AP), so this plan depends on her being medically cleared.

#2. Offer a second-round pick for Elizabeth Williams

My opening offer to the Chicago Sky would be the 2027 No. 23 pick for Elizabeth Williams. My ceiling would be that pick plus New York's 2028 third-rounder. I would walk away if the Sky required a first-round pick.

Williams is under contract for a listed $600,000 cap hit in 2027, the figure that counts against the salary cap rather than base salary, then an unrestricted free agent, according to the Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database. This would require a trade and sufficient cap room. She is not a free agent New York can simply sign.

I would ask her to screen, protect the rim, and give Jonquel Jones roughly 12 dependable minutes on an ordinary night. She would play mainly beside Breanna Stewart or Satou Sabally, keeping shooting around a center whose job is to work near the basket.

Chicago's reason to consider it would be a younger, cheaper roster spot and more spending flexibility around Kamilla Cardoso and Azura Stevens, who are both on the Sky's 2027 sheet. But Williams is useful depth for Chicago too. I have no reporting that Chicago wants to move her.

If the trade fails, I would keep No. 23, draft frontcourt help, and let Han Xu compete for the backup-center job. Williams is my preferred upgrade, not a move worth forcing.

#3. Give Astier and Fauthoux a real share of the offense

I would make Pauline Astier a re-signing priority and start camp with Marine Fauthoux in the regular rotation. Fauthoux's 20 points and four assists in Game 2 were encouraging. She followed that with 9 points on 4-of-8 shooting in Game 3. One excellent game does not establish her as the answer at point guard, but it earns her a longer audition.

My instruction to the coaching staff would be to keep one of those guards on the floor whenever Sabrina Ionescu sits. Let Fauthoux or Astier bring the ball up against pressure, then use Ionescu coming off a screen or taking a handoff. That gives Sabrina more chances to attack a moving defense and gives opponents another ballhandler to account for.

Through the first 15 games, I would compare turnover rate, assist-to-turnover ratio, and offensive efficiency in lineups pairing Ionescu with another point guard. If those groups cannot protect the ball, I would revisit veteran point guards. Until then, I would put the available money toward the frontcourt.

#4. Draft Okananwa and keep a rebounding prospect in view

My first-round preference is Oluchi Okananwa, subject to her senior season, draft entry, and availability. Maryland's October 1 update credits her with 17.8 points per game and 74 steals in 33 games last season (2.2 steals per game) (Maryland athletics). Her school biography also lists All-Big Ten Defensive Team honors.

I would develop her as the guard who picks up a quick opposing ballhandler early and fights through screens. Against Atlanta, that could mean an assignment on Jordin Canada, freeing Leonie Fiebich to spend more time on Rhyne Howard. College steals do not guarantee that she can handle that job in the WNBA. How well she gets around screens and makes open shots would decide her minutes.

The Oct. 1 salary sheet lists New York's 2027 picks by round and does not lock the numbers. The current board has the Liberty at 8, 23, and 38, and New York still holds each of those picks (Tankathon; WNBAGM, data as of Oct. 12). Picks 1 through 7 are a lottery, so No. 8 is the first selection after it.

At No. 38, I would have NC State forward Khamil Pierre on the board if she remains available. Her 2025-26 line shows 11.9 rebounds per game, including 108 offensive rebounds in 32 games, and 1 of 6 from three (Sports-Reference). That three-point volume raises a spacing question, so I would treat her as a development candidate. A full college season remains before either selection becomes a serious draft-night decision.

#2027 contract status on this page

#5. Set spending limits before filling the last six spots

After six listed 2027 cap hits totaling $5,224,516, the money left for the other spots is still unknown, because the 2027 cap is not a published dollar figure yet (Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database, updated October 1, 2026, 12:35 p.m. Eastern; USA Today).

My working budget for the proposed roster would be:

The rookie contract must follow the applicable scale. The same sheet still shows the 2027 first-round figure as unset, so $400,000 is only my allowance. I would also seek at least $100,000 of cap room after the full roster is signed.

The Liberty sheet lists Stewart's 2026 cap hit at $1,190,000, 17% of that page's $7 million cap, and she described the deal as a three-year standard max that rises if the cap rises (Newsweek, April 17, 2026).

If the updated numbers cannot accommodate Williams and a complete roster, I would keep the draft pick and use a cheaper center. Astier and Han Xu need new contracts. The Oct. 1 sheet lists both as reserved players, meaning they can only re-sign with New York. Marine Johannes is a restricted free agent, so she can sign another team's offer sheet, but New York can match it. I would bring Johannes back within this budget for her shooting, but I would not match an offer that prevents the other pieces from fitting. The sheet also lists 2026 third-rounder Manuela Puoch as unsigned, with a 2027 scale figure of $288,600. This 12 does not include her.

#The 12 players I would take into 2027

Assuming the trade, draft, and contract targets work, this is my preferred opening roster. Madison Scott is my provisional choice for the last standard spot. She would need to earn it in camp.

Scott is currently listed as a developmental player (a developmental contract, not a standard contract), signed Sept. 2 and available Sept. 16 on that sheet, so this projects a new standard contract. Elizabeth Balogun, signed Aug. 18, is in the same developmental group. Khamil Pierre and Balogun would be developmental-contract targets if eligible and available after roster cuts. I would leave Rebekah Gardner, a restricted free agent on the sheet, and Anneli Maley, who has no 2027 figure there, out of my preferred 12. Raquel Carrera is listed as reserved, and I would give her a chance to compete for a frontcourt place in camp.

The closing five would depend on the opponent. Against heavy ball pressure, I would use Fauthoux or Astier alongside Ionescu and choose the other three by matchup. Protecting a lead against a fast guard, I would consider Okananwa if she has earned the assignment. The five highest-profile players would not automatically finish every game.

The risk: this plan asks young guards to improve while an expensive veteran group remains intact. I would accept that risk for one more run. By midseason, I would want evidence that New York can reach its offense against pressure and survive Jones sitting down. If those problems persist, the next trade discussion would have to be bigger.

These are my proposed moves, not reported negotiations. Contracts, draft positions, and availability reflect information available on October 12.

My take: keep the five one more year, but only if the guards fix the giveaways. 45 turnovers in three games is the clearest gap I can fix without breaking up the stars.

Full Court Buckets gathers and verifies its own game data. Audience, contract, and college figures above are credited to the dated sources linked in the story.

How this story was made: drafted with AI tools from the sources linked above, then reviewed and edited by Ryan Moalemi. How we make Full Court Buckets

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