Betnijah Laney-Hamilton trade talks have heated up again with the deadline approaching, The Athletic reported. She is on a $400,000 expiring contract.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton's name has been in trade talks since the start of the season, multiple league sources told The Athletic's Annie Costabile. Those conversations cooled in May and June before heating up again with the deadline approaching.
What has kept a deal from coming together is a prohibitively high asking price from New York Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb, according to many league sources who spoke with Costabile.
Laney-Hamilton missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from surgery to repair a meniscus injury she sustained playing in Unrivaled. Kolb suspended her contract last year to create cap space and open a roster spot, and the move also gave New York exclusive negotiating rights over her in free agency.
This season, Laney-Hamilton's role has been significantly limited. She picked up three consecutive DNPs leading into the All-Star break.
Laney-Hamilton spoke about her lack of playing time earlier this month.
"As a competitor, as somebody who's worked really hard, as somebody who's been a part of the organization for a long time, it can sometimes be disappointing and frustrating," Laney-Hamilton said. "But, you know, that's also part of the process."
The veteran guard is on an expiring contract valued at $400,000. The WNBA trade deadline falls Sunday, Aug. 2.
One possibility Costabile raised is a deal that sends Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow to New York for Laney-Hamilton. Morrow, a second-year forward, has come up in trade talks, multiple sources told Costabile.
Connecticut has positional overlap, draft capital, and $800,769 in cap space. The Sun are far removed from the playoff picture and are in position to be a top seller at the deadline, Costabile reported.
New York signed Satou Sabally as an unrestricted free agent this offseason after the Phoenix Mercury opted not to core her. Phoenix had acquired Sabally and Alyssa Thomas through a four-team trade in 2025.
Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones were separated in the All-Star Game draft on Saturday, with Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon serving as honorary general managers and picking the rosters themselves. Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 28 points in that game at the United Center.
New York is 15-12, third in the Eastern Conference and 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Dream. The Indiana Fever, who are 17-10, rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat the Liberty 108-88 on July 19. Breanna Stewart scored 28 points and Han Xu added 14 in her first career start in an earlier New York win over Connecticut.
Connecticut is 7-20 and 14th in the standings. Morrow was the seventh overall pick in the 2025 draft and has averaged 9.4 rebounds per game this season.
New York plays at Los Angeles on Tuesday.
