Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty Agree to 2-Year Contract Extension Worth Reported $410K

The New York Liberty agreed to a two-year extension with Sabrina Ionescu.

New York confirmed the deal after Richard Cohen of Her Hoop Stats first reported the agreement.

Ionescu is entering the final year of her rookie contract. Under the terms of her extension, she'll earn $202,000 in 2024 and $208,060 in 2025, according to Cohen. Those figures are both slightly below the WNBA's maximum salaries ($208,219; $214,466) outlined for those seasons.

The 2020 No. 1 overall pick was limited to three games as a rookie because of an ankle injury, which may have hindered her development into her second season. In 2022, she turned a corner.

Ionescu averaged 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 33.3 percent from three-point range, earning All-Star and second-team All-WNBA honors. She displayed the skills that made her the NCAA's all-time leader in triple-doubles.

Ionescu's position within the Liberty hierarchy has shifted, though, in the wake of the team's offseason. She's no longer the clear centerpiece of the franchise with a roster that includes WNBA MVPs Jonquel Jones (2021) and Breanna Stewart (2018) along with Courtney Vandersloot, one of the league's most prolific playmakers.

The two-year extension affirms how the 5'11" guard remains a part of New York's long-term vision, though.

According to The Athletic's Ben Pickman, Ionescu took part in the Liberty's formal pitch to Jones, who was seeking an exit from the Connecticut Sun. Ionescu also spoke directly with Vandersloot to alleviate any concerns Vandersloot had about how they would stylistically fit on the same squad.

Ionescu had the eighth-highest usage rate (26.8 percent) in the WNBA in 2022, per Basketball Reference, and she seemingly knows accommodating Jones, Stewart and Vandersloot will require sacrifices on her part.

The structure of her new deal reflects that since she left some money on the table. Every little bit of salary-cap flexibility will help when Jones, Stewart and 2021 All-Star Betnijah Laney all hit the open market in 2024.