New York Liberty · defensive specialist · 2026 stats, contract & trade value
Add Gardner to the Trade Machine →In 2026, Gardner is producing 0.3 pts below what her salary should buy. She's a free agent after this season, so the figure reflects her 2026 salary alone.
Projected per stat on the fitted league aging curves (scoring fades, rebounding holds, minutes drive late decline) — 4,700 player-seasons, 1997–2025. Ranges are 10th–90th percentile from held-out backtest error. Years marked FA are past her current deal — projection only.
| Season | Team | GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TOV | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | CHI | 35 | 21.7 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 54.2% | 35.7% | 80.0% |
| 2023 | CHI | 3 | 19.8 | 7.0 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 42.9% | 60.0% | 100.0% |
| 2025 | NYL | 41 | 12.2 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 50.0% | 47.6% | 81.5% |
| 2026 | NY | 25 | 14.9 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 45.2% | 22.2% | 93.8% |
| Season | Talent | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 27 | 4.1 | 2.0 | 0.9 |
| 2028 | 26 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 0.9 |
Future-year talent figures above are projections on the league aging curve (fit from 4,692 player-seasons, 1997–2025), not measurements — they fade in the display because they should.How the projections work →
Her attribute profile scored against each team's current roster deficits — where she'd fill the biggest hole, not just where she'd be fun.
The closest player-seasons in league history (1997–2025) to her current age, per-36 profile, and role — the careers her projection walks alongside.
Durability context: 57% of her 40 nearest comps had no qualified season two years on — projection ranges assume she's still playing.