Barclays Center will be packed Sunday for a blockbuster matinee — a rematch of the Commissioner’s Cup title game, a battle of the past two WNBA champions, an opportunity for the Liberty to avenge their only loss of the past three weeks.
But the battle against four-time MVP A’ja Wilson and the Aces will come without “the heart” of the Liberty, who waived Betnijah Laney-Hamilton on Thursday — ending the guard’s six-season run in New York — then saw the former All-Star get claimed off waivers by the Washington Mystics on Saturday.
“Betnijah’s a tremendous player and a tremendous person,” Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco said following Saturday’s practice. “She meant a lot to this organization and still does. I know it was really difficult trying to find the right trade partners for her and still in the end, we wanted to give her an opportunity where she’s able to contribute and have a larger role and that’s why we got to this point.
“Even at the start of the season, she expressed if there’s other opportunities, she wanted to look at those. It came to the point, just as a team we all understood what this is and what we’re trying to accomplish. For her, it was trying to find her the right place where she can succeed and feel good.
“Coming off a major injury … it was a tough year all-around for her. … It’s just one of those things where she felt like she wanted another opportunity and we did our best to try to help her.”
Laney-Hamilton, a starter on the 2024 title team, missed all of last season with a knee injury, then struggled to find her form under a new head coach.
Despite opening the season as a starter, Laney-Hamilton, 32, had fallen out of the rotation over the past four weeks and hadn’t played in eight straight games. This season she saw her fewest minutes (16.8) in eight years, averaging 4.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists, while shooting 36.2 percent from the field.
Cutting ties with Laney-Hamilton allowed the Liberty to sign developmental player Marine Fauthoux to a multi-year contract.
But the roster still has a hole that cannot be filled.
“She’s been the heart of this team even well before I got here, and I think that it’s really sad to see her go, and I know a lot of people are having that similar sentiment,” Breanna Stewart said. “She’s just been someone who’s uplifting, even when she’s not been on the court while dealing with injury, and she’s a bright spot that we’ll definitely miss.
“B was so New York, you know? The toughness, the grit, the determination.”
