The New York Libertyare out of the playoffs after being eliminated by the Atlanta Dream.
After winning a title in 2024, the Liberty lost in the postseason for the second straight year. In 2025, Phoenix bounced the New York in the first round. This season, the Liberty fell, 85-83, to the Dream in an elimination game in the semifinals.
New York secured the No. 8 seed after a 26-18 regular season and historically swept the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx in the first round. But the Liberty struggled against Atlanta. New York found itself down 2-0 after a turnover-filled defeat in Game 1 and late-game defensive lapses and execution issues in Game 2. In Game 3, it could not contain Atlanta late, and a Breanna Stewart bucket at the buzzer couldn't win it and extend
the series.
With the Liberty's postseason push over, what's next? Here's what's on the horizon for New York:
Liberty guard Satou Sabally's health
Before the 2026 season, forward Satou Sabally signed a two-year deal with the New York Liberty. However, due to a concussion, Sabally played 13 games for New York and started five.
"She's gonna be away from the team for a little bit. It's her second significant head injury in the past 12 months," Liberty head coach Chris Demarco said on Aug. 13. "As with all our players, health will always be the focus. We look forward to getting her back. She's just taking some time right now."
On June 23, during a game against the Las Vegas Aces, Sabally exited the matchup early. With 5:31 remaining in the first quarter, the Liberty star was elbowed in the face by Aces forward NaLyssa Smith as they competed for a rebound. Sabally, who was called for a loose-ball foul on the play, fell to the ground, removed her glasses and rubbed her head. She eventually got to her feet under her own power.
Sabally was subbed out and went to the bench. She returned to action at the start of the second quarter and played for nearly four minutes before checking back out. Sabally did not come back to the court. She played eight minutes, finishing with one assist and one block. The Liberty forward never suited up again.
Sabally, who has a history of concussions, is slated to play in Unrivaled, which begins its third season in January.
"We navigated (this series) well. I think especially Satou (Sabally), she's built for a series like this, obviously, with her ability to be physical, get to the rim, do all those things," DeMarco said Friday. "But again, and not to go down that path, but the priority with her is always going to be health. We want to make sure she feels good before she plays again."
WNBA offseason roster priorities for the Liberty
Multiple players will return next season, including Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. That bodes well for a Liberty team that wants to get back to the WNBA Finals. Stewart addressed defense as an area she wants to see improve.
"You see Atlanta, and they really just work well together. I think that for us, it just took a while to find our identity, what we were going to do defensively and how we were going to play with teams," Stewart said Friday.
"So I'm not going to tell (the media) exactly what we need because I don't think that's appropriate. But defense is really, like, what people say: defense wins championships. It's (expletive) true. It does. ... We just needed to really understand our identity a little bit better from the jump."
Liberty coach Chris DeMarco's future
The New York Liberty hired Chris DeMarco in December 2025 following 14 seasons with the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He replaced former head coach Sandy Brondello, who spent four seasons with New York, winning a championship in 2024.
The Liberty started the 2026 season 3-4 before rattling off an eight-game winning streak. That ended June 19, and New York was inconsistent after. By Aug. 3, the Liberty were 18-13, just above the cutoff line for projected playoff teams. They finished with a 26-18 record and were the No. 8 in the playoffs.
Now, New York is out of the postseason for the second straight year. While DeMarco likely returns in 2027, it's worth noting that the pressure to produce could intensify.
"I'm going to take some time and really assess, as I do at the end of every season (for) not just myself, (but) staff, players, everything, take a look at it," DeMarco said Friday. "The great part about what I do is that you're constantly learning, and there's new things you learn every single day, every season, things you'll take away, things you'll get rid of, whatever that may be. But I'm really, really proud of our group. I'll say it again.
"We know we have a team that can win this thing, a team that can get to the Finals. We know we could have played better, but it hurts. It does hurt, and everyone's going to be disappointed if they don't win the championship, or they should be."
It's worth noting when Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu were asked if they expected to see DeMarco return next season, they did not give a resounding "yes."
"That's not our say. Our job is to go out there and play good basketball and represent the organization well, represent the fanbase well and our families. I think we do a good job of focusing on that, and, you know, it is what it is," Jones said.
Ionescu echoed Jones' sentiments and said the team was thankful for everything Demarco had done this season.
"I don't know what's gonna happen. Regardless, (I'm) thankful for him coaching us this year (and) obviously, giving us a chance, and we just fell short," Ionescu added.
"I think it's just tough to kind of talk or think about that right now," Stewart said. "My focus and what I'm thinking about right now is just like ― missed opportunity. You know what I mean? Like really thinking about the opportunity ... I fell like because we (went to the WNBA Finals) twice early on, it was almost like, 'Well, this is gonna be an every year thing.
"In order to do that, you need to be consistent for the full 44 games ... I don't think we were consistent throughout the season. I think that we started to show some life and peak a little bit towards the end and really in the playoffs, but ... this is not like cramming for a test. You gotta be like ready, and ready to go from the jump."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What next for the Liberty? Playoff elimination starts offseason plans
