Breanna Stewart is returning to the New York Liberty, having agreed to terms on a one-year deal.

The news was first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The deal is below the league supermax, which allows the Liberty to keep its starting lineup — which reached the 2023 WNBA Finals — intact. Previously, the Liberty had placed the core tag on its star player, ensuring that they would hold exclusive negotiating rights to keep Stewart in New York.

The fact that Stewart signed under the cap and on a non-guaranteed deal means that the Liberty could also go out and get another veteran player on a protected deal should they choose to do so.

Stefanie Dolson, who was moved to more of a bench role last season, opted to return to the Washington Mystics in free agency. The Liberty, meanwhile, have looked to improve defensively through their bench.

“I think we can look at our bench and I think we can continue to augment there and improve if we can get longer … this year we were very big heavy on the bench,” general manager Jonathan Kolb said last October. “We might shift that. You can add another wing, you can make that a ball handler, what have you, but we have to improve our defensive presence off the bench. And that’ll give us more options in different series.”

Guards Kennedy Burke and Ivana Dojkic have signed with the team, while forward Leonie Fiebich was also signed to a training camp contract.

One big-name free agent remaining is Tiffany Hayes, who averaged 12.1 points per game last season for Connecticut.

It’s also unclear what the status of Marine Johannes is. While Johannes was a key member of the Liberty last season, she could opt out this season due to the league’s new prioritization rule.

Stewart’s decision to sign a low one-year deal versus deferring her salary in a higher two-year deal could indicate larger WNBPA decisions as well. The WNBPA has to decide whether to opt out of the current CBA by Nov. 1 of this year.

The Liberty star has been vocal about wanting to opt out of the current CBA, saying in the upcoming Tubi documentary that she wants to do so. The current CBA runs through 2028, should players choose to forego opting out.

A new CBA will likely mean higher salaries for players, which has led to many free agency stars opting for shorter deals this offseason.