Even after confirming the Big Three’s stay on the team, the New York Liberty isn’t messing around in raising its stock, and its latest decision just adds weight to it. One of their own, Han Xu, a 6’11 center who dominated the Barclays Center at one point in her career, is returning to the Barclays Center in a training camp contract.

A New York Liberty beat writer recently confirmed this update via a post on X. Xu last played for the Liberty in 2023, after being selected 14th overall in 2019. “Per source, Han Xu is signing a training camp contract with the New York Liberty. The no. 14 pick of the 2019 draft is back in Brooklyn!” the post read.

According to reports, the New York Liberty had rights to Han Xu under a “suspended-contract expired” status, meaning that the Liberty did have some exclusivity in signing this deal. Although Xu has made her first stride in her return to the W, a training contract doesn’t guarantee anything. She will still need to fight it out in the camp with other invitees and the draftees for a place in the main roster of the team.

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Along with Xu, the Liberty has signed several other training camp contracts with the players. The list includes Rebekah Gardner, Ashley Owusu, Ny’Cera Pryor, Alex Fowler, Derin Erdogan, and Ugonne Oniyah. Along with them, the Liberty also has one incoming draftee in Australia’s Manuela Puoch, whom the Liberty acquired in the third round of the draft.

All of these players will be eying a main roster spot in the upcoming training camp and preseason games, like Xu. The Hebei native’s stretch last time around with the Liberty was hampered by external factors. For instance, she had to sit out the entire 2020 and 2021 seasons due to COVID-19. Even during the seasons she played for the team, Xu was a major player, both on and off the bench, averaging just 12.4 minutes per game.

The 2022 season was a silver lining in this Liberty stretch for her, where she averaged 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds across the season. But in the two seasons she was away from the WNBA, Xu has made a name for herself worldwide. Playing for the WCBA, Xu has won two MVP Awards and a Defensive Player of the Year Award with the Perth Lynx in the WNBA during the 2025 season.

Her performance was so impressive for the Lynx that one of women’s basketball’s all-time greats, Lauren Jackson, heaped praise on Xu. “She’s a global superstar, she’s not just been a superstar in her own country, but a global one [and has been] for a number of years,” Jackson had said. “She’s definitely one of the best imports that we’ve ever had, and most recognizable for sure. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

Yet despite these worldwide experiences, Han Xu will have to work her way through to make a name for herself in the league. We all know that the WNBA has immensely greater standards and is altogether a different ballgame. Thus, it will be interesting to see how Xu copes in this fast-paced league upon her return to Liberty camp later this month.

What Expertise Does Han Xu bring to the New York Liberty?

The height and a strong defense have always been Han Xu’s hallmarks, with experts currently calling her a 3-and-D player. According to reports, Xu has grown by 2 inches since she last played for the Liberty. She is currently 6’11 and is one of the tallest players in the league in the current era.

Furthermore, her DPOY for the Perth Lynx has already reaffirmed her skill set in rim protection. To get a better perspective of her prowess beyond the arc, we will have to roll the clock back a few years, when she was a regular player for the Liberty.

In the two complete seasons she played for the Liberty, Xu recorded 3-point numbers of 50% and 44.4%, respectively. Thus, with her prowess in a two-way front, Xu can be a top candidate for the NY Liberty to hold on to in the main roster.

To be honest, the New York Liberty already has a stacked roster. The team has done an excellent job in keeping Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones on their team. On top of that, the Liberty has also brought in Satou Sabally to strengthen their frontcourt. All in all, the team kind of looks like the Avengers and has most of the bases covered.

And any signing or roster inclusion at this moment will, of course, be to add depth to the bench. And Xu will also have to fit into this same role if she eventually makes it to the team’s main roster.

The camp will start around April 19 at the Barclays Center. We will have to wait until then to see if Han Xu can make it through to the tough competition amid a long queue and make it through to the main roster. The two pre-season games for the New York Liberty are on April 26 and May 8. They will face the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun.