Courtney Vandersloot to Sign with Liberty, Join Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu

The New York Liberty continue loading up for the 2023 WNBA season.

Four-time All-Star Courtney Vandersloot announced Thursday she's heading to the Big Apple:

This comes one day after Breanna Stewart announced she's signing with the Liberty, who opened the offseason by also acquiring 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones from the Connecticut Sun.

Once Stewart made her decision, many expected Vandersloot might follow her to the Empire State. The two have been teammates, along with Jones, on Russian side UMMC Ekaterinburg. Vandersloot also recently signed with Fenerbahçe, where Stewart is currently playing.

The 33-year-old is one of the best playmakers in WNBA history. Her 2,385 assists are third all time and first among active players following Sue Bird's retirement.

Vandersloot continued to play at a high level in 2022, averaging 11.8 points and 6.5 assists and shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc.

But whereas Jones and Stewart are simply so good you set aside how they fit with the rest of the roster, signing Vandersloot could present some challenges to the front office and head coach Sandy Brondello.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Stewart intends to take a lower salary to help keep New York under the cap:

If the Liberty can sign Vandersloot without having to sacrifice Betnijah Laney, then that would be a major win. Laney, who will earn $201,984 in 2023, per Her Hoop Stats, is an effective two-way wing whose defense will be even more important on a team with championship aspirations.

Even assuming the roster remains largely unchanged, Vandersloot may not be an ideal backcourt partner for Sabrina Ionescu.

Ionescu is more of a combo guard than a traditional floor general, and the addition of Vandersloot might push her into an off-ball role.

The 25-year-old is a 33.1 percent three-point shooter through three seasons, and 58.8 percent of her field-goal attempts in 2022 were unassisted, per WNBA.com. By making her more of a spot-up shooter, the Liberty wouldn't necessarily be playing to her strengths.

For New York, the opportunity to sign Vandersloot was simply too good to pass up, and it might've been necessary if it increased the odds of adding Stewart.

This move raises the bar for success even higher for the Liberty this year. Anything short of a WNBA Finals appearance is likely to be considered a major disappointment.