Kennedy Burke re-signs with Liberty on one-year contract
Kennedy Burke isn’t going anywhere.
On the first day of the WNBA free agency signing period, the Liberty saw guard Courtney Vandersloot sign a one-year deal with the Chicago Sky, while Burke, a restricted free agent, re-signed with New York.
Burke had garnered interest from several teams over the past week, including Connecticut, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Ultimately, though, the guard/forward decided to stay in Brooklyn and help the Liberty defend their 2024 title.
Burke is returning on a one-year, veteran minimum contract, worth $78,831, league sources told The Post.
She looked to have an expanded role in 2025 after averaging 12.1 minutes last season.
In a statement, general manager Jonathan Kolb said the team is “incredibly excited” to welcome Burke back.
“KB is a vital piece to our roster and culture alike — and building off her success in 2024 — she’s poised to take on a larger role this year and further showcase her versatility,” Kolb said.
The upcoming season will mark Burke’s second with the Liberty and sixth in the league.
In 2024, Burke averaged 3.4 points and 1.5 rebounds on 40.9 percent shooting in her 38 games.
Her playing time dwindled, though, in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Vandersloot is the second player whom the Liberty lost from their championship roster after the Golden State Valkyries picked up Kayla Thornton in the December expansion draft.
Vandersloot’s exit doesn’t come as a shock, considering the writing had been on the wall for months that her time with New York was likely coming to an end.
Vandersloot’s situation in New York, though, soured when she was moved to the bench during the playoffs.
Vandersloot played only 18 minutes over the course of the last three games of the WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx.
Speaking at Unrivaled, Vandersloot made it clear she wanted to play for a team that would value her skill set and allow her to be the team’s primary ball handler.
She’ll be able to do that with the Sky, who didn’t extend a qualifying offer to 2024 starting point guard Chennedy Carter.
Vandersloot was in Chicago for the first 12 years of her career after the Sky drafted her No. 3 overall in 2011.
With Vandersloot and Thornton gone, Burke will have the opportunity to compete for more playing time.
