UNCASVILLE, Conn. — An unfortunate ramification of prized free agent Emma Meesseman’s commitment to the Liberty unfolded Friday.

The Liberty waived second-year guard Jaylyn Sherrod, which paved the way for Meesseman to officially join the roster.

General manager Jonathan Kolb shared an unusually long statement lauding Sherrod, who was loved by many within the organization, as “a champion in every sense of the word.”

“She embodies the passion, grit and relentlessness that define the city of New York,” Kolb said. “Jaylyn, you’ve left New York better than you found it, and your mark here is everlasting. Once a Liberty, always a Liberty. Go be great, Champ!”

Kolb also said Sherrod’s journey of going undrafted out of Colorado to being a WNBA champion last season with the franchise is “one of the most remarkable stories I’ve had the good fortune to witness.”

Coach Sandy Brondello would sometimes deploy Sherrod when she felt the team needed a jolt of energy.

“She’s just a joy to have around the team, just the energy that she brought on the court but also off the court. She’s well-respected from her peers,” Brondello said after shootaround ahead of the team’s Friday night game at Connecticut. “She came to work and we knew she was a spark plug. She was an energy player when we needed it because that’s what she did and she’s shown great improvement.”

The writing had been on the wall for some days that Sherrod would be the roster casualty to make Meesseman’s arrival work.

In 18 games this season, Sherrod averaged 1.2 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.6 steals over 5.8 minutes. She played the third-fewest minutes this season and was a healthy scratch in Wednesday’s loss in Minneapolis.

“Obviously, [she] didn’t get to have many opportunities, but [what’s important for] her is just keep getting that experience,” Brondello said. “There’s going to be a lot more spots opening up, and she’s going to be good because she’s a fighter, she’s a competitor, and she’s going to keep fighting and prove her worth in this league.”

WNBA teams are allowed a maximum of 12 players under contract, though increasing roster sizes is something being discussed as part of ongoing negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Brondello believes Sherrod is a perfect example of why roster expansion is necessary.

“That’s a young player that we believe in, but she’s got a lot of great players ahead of her,” she said. “But we would have liked to have invested in building, developing her more, but hopefully, that changes in the future.”