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Mechelle VoepelESPN.com
Free-agent forward Breanna Stewart is headed back to the Seattle Storm on a one-year supermax deal, a source told ESPN Monday, confirming an earlier report.
The WNBA free-agency signing period officially begins Feb. 1, and the supermax salary for 2022 is $228,094.
Stewart, who was the WNBA’s regular-season MVP in 2018 and the WNBA Finals MVP that year and 2020, is headed back to the team that drafted her No. 1 out of UConn in 2016. Stewart, a native of Syracuse, New York, visited the New York Liberty as part of her free-agency process, but will play at least one more season with Seattle teammate Sue Bird.
Bird, 41, announced via social media earlier in January that she would return for her 19th season in 2022. The duo were key components to the 2018 and 2020 WNBA titles; Bird also helped lead Seattle to the WNBA championship in 2004 and 2010.
Stewart, who will turn 28 in August, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who won four NCAA titles at UConn. She married and had a baby daughter with her wife via surrogate during last WNBA season.
But Stewart injured her left foot on Sept. 7 against the Washington Mystics and did not play in the final two regular-season games or Seattle’s playoff game. The Storm were eliminated by the Phoenix Mercury 85-80 in overtime in the second round of the WNBA playoffs.
Stewart underwent surgery for a minor repair and reinforcement of the Achilles tendon in her left leg in October. She missed the 2019 WNBA season after an Achilles injury she suffered while playing overseas.
Stewart has averaged 20.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in her five WNBA seasons.
Stewart’s decision was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.
