The wheels of WNBA free agency keep turning, and the New York Liberty remain in hot pursuit of top target Breanna Stewart.

When the negotiating period started last Saturday, Stewart already was slated to meet with four teams she has marked as her preferred destinations: the Seattle Storm, with whom she has spent the first six seasons of her career, as well as the Liberty, the Washington Mystics and the Minnesota Lynx.

The meetings took place in Istanbul, where the 2018 WNBA MVP is playing in the offseason for Turkish club Fenerbahçe. And the Liberty have made their presence known as Stewart continues her European season.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, co-owner Clara Wu Tsai, general manager Jonathan Kolb and assistant general manager Ohemaa Nyanin all were spotted at a Fenerbahçe game Wednesday in Istanbul, as seen in a photo tweeted by basketball reporter Luis Vallejo. Vallejo also tweeted photos of Stewart speaking on the court with Wu Tsai, Brondello and Nyanin.

Las @nyliberty, presentes en Estambul. Diría que son:

▪️Sandy Brondello (Entrenadora)
▪️Clara Wu Tsai (copropietaria)
▪️Jonathan Kolb (GM)
▪️Ohemaa Nyanin (Asistente GM)

Con todo a por Breanna Stewart.

📸FIBA pic.twitter.com/Nbpmykf2wO

— Luis Vallejo (@Lvallejocolom) January 25, 2023

So while Stewart (like all players) cannot sign a contract until Feb. 1, the Liberty are not biding their time. They also reportedly met with Courtney Vandersloot in New York, and reports have said the point guard’s free agency will factor into Stewart’s decision.

Since the Storm drafted Stewart with the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, the 6-4 forward has averaged 20.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in her first six seasons in the WNBA. She won WNBA titles with Seattle in 2018 and 2020, and she was named the Finals MVP in both series.

The 28-year-old superstar seems to be having fun with the free agency process, posting emoji-filled tweets and leaving fans scrambling to decipher their meanings.

She also has been vocal about making charter flights a key factor in her decision-making. The WNBA’s current travel policy does not allow charter flights; teams must use commercial flights to travel to regular-season games.

Stewie's latest emoji tweet.

She's weighing/juggling her options? 🤔 https://t.co/ke3MYiWSIA

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) January 26, 2023

Team Poland lifted the 2026 United Cup trophy on Sunday, but the historic win brought new concerns as world No. 2 Iga Świątek appeared rattled while closing out the Australian Open tune-up.

While her compatriots closed out the fourth edition of the international team tournament with wins that secured two-time runner-up Poland its first-ever United Cup title, Świątek stumbled at the finish.

The 24-year-old capped the singles competition with back-to-back defeats, dropping her semifinals match against US star No. 3 Coco Gauff in straight sets on Saturday before falling 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to Switzerland's No. 10 Belinda Bencic on Sunday — a loss that saw the six-time Grand Slam winner seeking treatment between sets.

"Everything is fine. Just super sore," Świątek said following Poland's 2026 United Cup win, downplaying her fitness concerns. "First tournament of the year, it causes the body [to feel] a bit differently than during the season."

With the first Grand Slam of 2026 looming — the only one standing between Świątek and a Career Grand Slam — the Polish phenom and her peers will have a week to recover before taking the Australian Open hardcourt in Melbourne at 7 PM ET on Saturday.

With qualifying play wrapping midweek, the 2026 Australian Open will reveal each player's path in the main draw, which will stream live at 10:30 PM ET on Wednesday at ausopen.com.

Fresh faces are shining on the 3×3 basketball court, as Unrivaled newcomer Breeze BC holds their own against veteran competition, riding a 2-1 record through their first three games of the 2026 season.

First-year guard Paige Bueckers leads the team with 18.3 points per game, with the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year also sitting third in the offseason league in assists with 7.0 per game.

It's not only Bueckers impressing from the young Breeze squad, however, as second-year Unrivaled vet Rickea Jackson and league debutant Dominique Malonga are posting 17.3 points per game so far, putting the pair at Nos. 11 and 12 among the league's 45 star players — just behind Bueckers at No. 9.

"I feel like we just stick together," said Jackson. "Our chemistry is insane for us to just [now] be playing together."

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Experience did win out on Sunday, though, as reigning champion Rose BC's Chelsea Gray dropped 37 points on the young stars to secure her team's 3-0 record with a 73-69 victory.

Gray currently leads Unrivaled with 31.7 points per game, hitting two game-winners in the first week of play as Rose BC tops the Season 2 standings.

How to watch Breeze BC in Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball

Breeze BC will return to the Unrivaled court next weekend, tipping off their Saturday matchup against Vinyl BC at 8:45 PM ET on truTV before taking on the Mist at 8 PM ET next Monday, airing live on TNT.

The WNBA CBA deadline came and went on Friday, leaving the league and the players union in a status quo holding pattern while negotiations drag on.

The WNBA and WNBPA are continuing talks under the conditions of the previous CBA, without a moratorium on offseason activity like qualifying offers to restricted free agents.

The league originally set the opening to begin free agency conversations for January 11th, allowing teams to now start sending offers through January 20th — though those proposed deals must abide by the terms of the expired CBA.

Amidst the deluge of one-year deals inked last offseason in anticipation of a renegotiated CBA — and the significant compensation bump likely to result from a new agreement — nearly all WNBA veterans are now free agents, with reports indicating that players aren't eager to sign contracts under the old CBA.

This year's free agency period also hinges on the league's expected two-team expansion draft, with incoming franchises Portland and Toronto unable to build their rosters due to the ongoing CBA delays.

Though the WNBA is reportedly not yet considering locking out the players, the WNBPA recently reserved the right to formally authorize a work stoppage through a strike measure, saying the "WNBA and its teams have failed to meet us at the table with the same spirit and seriousness."

Unranked Notre Dame made a statement last weekend, as the Fighting Irish took down No. 22 North Carolina 73-50 to earn their second ranked win of the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season on Sunday.

While guards Cassandre Prosper and Vanessa de Jesus bolstered Notre Dame with 17 and 16 points, respectively, junior star Hannah Hidalgo led the Irish's charge, putting up 31 points as well as snagging six steals in the afternoon matchup.

"Hidalgo was a real problem," Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart said postgame. "Obviously, she disrupted us in all ways, I think most of those 27 points off turnovers was because of her."

After a volatile offseason, the Irish saw their 85-week AP Top 25 streak end earlier this month following back-to-back losses to ACC foes Georgia Tech and Duke — but Notre Dame has since rattled off two straight wins to potentially re-enter the rankings conversation.

"I'm challenging them in practice," said Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey. "We're learning from our mistakes, and we're getting better. That's what I love. This group allows me to do that."

How to watch Notre Dame basketball this week

Notre Dame will face another tough test on Thursday, when the unranked Irish host a surging No. 10 Louisville at 6 PM ET, airing live on ACCN.