The New York Liberty waived Layshia Clarendon on Thursday.
One of the team's most important players in 2020 is out the door in 2021. It wasn't something the Liberty wanted to do, though.
Natasha Howard, whom the team traded for in the offseason, wasn't in New York at the start of the season as she was finishing her overseas campaign in Italy. But that ended, and the Liberty were stuck with 13 players on a 12-person roster. Somebody had to go, and Layshia Clarendon was the odd one out. The team's cap crunch made a trade difficult, so Clarendon was waived rather than dealt.
"It was not a decision that we came to lightly," Liberty head coach Walt Hopkins told Sarah Valenzuela of the New York Daily News. "It's a lot of deliberation and, ultimately, we had to look at what we were building and maximizing the usage of the minutes that we have for our young players. So it ended up being a tough decision, but one that we think is the right one."
Clarendon started 19 of the Liberty's 22 games in 2020, their first with the franchise, and averaged 11.5 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per contest. They played a major role in the extremely young team with a first-year head coach as one of its main veteran players, but New York is in a different situation in 2021.
Layshia Clarendon was selected No. 9 overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever and has also played for the Atlanta Dream and Connecticut Sun. Another team could add them to its roster, but that would force more shuffling to create space.
Now for some other news from across the sport this week:
Nothing But News: May 18-24, 2021
The early portion of the NBA Playoffs have been outstanding so far, from Trae Young's game winner for Atlanta at the end of a fantastic Game 1 in New York to Memphis earning the upset in Game 1 of its series with Utah and much more.
Bank records submitted in federal court prove Zion Williamson's mother and stepfather received payments from former Adidas executive Chris Rivers from 2016 to 2019.
Arizona State transfer Remy Martin told Jon Rothstein he has committed to Kansas and intends to still go through the NBA Draft process.
The NBA launched NBA Africa, a new organization to run its ops in the continent, including the Basketball Africa League. The investors are Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Grant Hill, Dikembe Mutombo, and Junior Bridgeman, per Shams Charania.
Former Michigan State men's basketball player Keith Appling was arrested in connection to a fatal shooting in Detroit on Saturday.
Sabrina Ionescu put up 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in an 86-75 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, which is just the 10th triple-double ever in the WNBA. She is the youngest-ever player to record a triple-double in the league's history.
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams was voted as the NBCA's Coach of the Year.
Get Caught Up on NBN Content!
Here's a recap of some of our content from the last week:
WNBA Commissioner's Cup Explained
The WNBA has a new competition this season called the Commissioner's Cup, and it's the first of its kind in American professional basketball. So, how does it work, and how does it stack up to other similar competitions in other sports? We have it all explained.
Tyler Herro Silences Crowd in Big 2018 High School Game: Video
Tyler Herro has been relentless since well before he entered the NBA. Check out this video of him showing out in a massive high school game three years ago.
Tyler Herro is playing well for the Miami Heat now, but in 2018, he was playing for the Woodland Conference Championship in high school.
All-Roy Williams UNC Teams: Reflecting on Ol' Roy's Carolina Years
Roy Williams retired from coaching at the end of the 2020-21 season, so we asked Tar Heels fans online to vote for who they thought made up the First, Second, and Third All-Roy Williams UNC Teams. These are the results.
Court Rules Joel Embiid, Russell Westbrook to Lose Custody of Steven Adams
Raymond Tortuga has the scoop on a Philadelphia court ruling against both Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook in their embittered divorce, determining that neither of them will have custody of their child, Steven Adams.
