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With Betnijah Laney-Hamilton sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury, Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said Saturday the team will “more likely than not” be suspending the veteran forward’s contract for the 2025 season.
Laney-Hamilton, a member of the Liberty’s championship starting lineup, had surgery in March on her left knee after suffering an acute meniscus tear at Unrivaled earlier this year.
Laney-Hamilton has started the rehabilitation process but isn’t expected to return to basketball activities until August or September, meaning she could miss most — if not all — of the WNBA season.
Kolb said his “heart breaks” for Laney-Hamilton, who’s not only been a vocal leader but also has been a pivotal part in the team’s recent success of back-to-back WNBA Finals appearances, including a 2024 championship.
The decision to ultimately suspend Laney-Hamilton’s contract – which hasn’t officially happened yet – is not one Kolb takes lightly.
“In terms of the season, I think it’s fair to assume we will be suspending that contract,” Kolb said. “We want to get to camp and to really understand what we have and make sure things are playing out the way we envisioned. We’re navigating a lot this year. In addition to the things that we spoke on earlier with expansion and things like that, we’ve got EuroBasket. And we need to be really mindful and practical about not putting too much wear and tear on our existing players. That’s really important and we need to be fully formed come September. That’s where we need to be and we need to be hitting our stride.”
Kolb made it clear that suspending Laney-Hamilton’s contract is “procedural” and should not be viewed in a negative light.
By doing so, though, the Liberty will open a roster spot and remove her $185,400 salary from the team’s books, giving the team flexibility to add another player for this season.
The Liberty will also have exclusive negotiating rights with Laney-Hamilton for what’s expected to be a chaotic free agency cycle in 2026, Kolb said.
An Unrivaled source previously told The Post that the new 3-on-3 basketball league would cover Laney-Hamilton’s 2025 WNBA salary in the case the Liberty suspend her.
Removing Laney-Hamilton from the Liberty’s 2025 picture could also be the best thing for the 31-year-old who has a lengthy history with knee injuries.
Laney-Hamilton has now undergone at least four knee surgeries since November 2021.
She injured her right knee early during the 2022 season and was limited to only nine games.
When she returned in August of that season, she played well but didn’t have established on-court chemistry with her teammates.
Last season, she had another minor procedure and missed 12 games but returned for the playoffs, where she averaged 27.3 minutes per game.
Sitting out this season would put Laney-Hamilton in the best position for future success.
“We were fully confident that she’s going to make a full return,” Kolb said. “And she’s going to have a great opportunity to be the healthiest that she’s been in some years.”
The Liberty are anticipating three players to temporarily leave the team in June to play in this year’s EuroBasket.
Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich are expected to play for Germany, while Marine Johannes is set to suit up for France in the international tournament which will run from June 18-29.
