It was only a matter of time. But on Saturday, the reigning champions Liberty finally made Breanna Stewart’s return to official. Stewart re-signed with the Liberty for a third season as she inked a one-year, $208,400 guaranteed contract. Stewart, 30, was widely considered this year’s best free agent available. But the two-time league MVP made it clear that she had no plans to play anywhere other than with the Liberty. Still, the Liberty used its core designation – the WNBA’s equivalent to the NFL’s franchise tag – on Stewart for the second consecutive year. It ensured the former UConn star, under the current collective bargaining agreement that expires after the 2025 season, will be ineligible to have the designation used on her for the remainder of her career. With a core designation, Stewart was eligible for a supermax contract, worth $249,244. She agreed to less than the top player salary for the second straight year to give more financial flexibility for the front office to shape the remainder of its roster. That’s also why Stewart’s contract signing was delayed until now. Earlier this month, the Liberty traded two first-round picks to the Connecticut Sun for veteran guard Natasha Cloud. They also recently re-signed French combo guard Marine Johannès, who sat out last season for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Liberty are coming off two straight WNBA Finals appearances and won it all in 2024 after a thrilling five-game series against the Minnesota Lynx. The majority of last season’s championship core will be back, including Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. The most notable departure from last season’s team is Courtney Vandersloot, who signed with the Chicago Sky after she was moved to the bench for the playoffs. Kayla Thornton, who registered the second-most playoff minutes among reserves, is also gone after the Golden State Valkyries picked her in the expansion draft. Stewart spent the first seven years of her WNBA career in Seattle before leaving in free agency to join the Liberty in 2022. Last season, her second in Brooklyn, Stewart averaged a team-high 20.4 points while shooting 45.8% from the field and a career-low 29.5 percent from 3. She also registered 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. The six-time All-Star finished third in MVP voting last season.