The WNBA’s abridged version of free agency this offseason didn’t come with the same shock and awe as in the past few years.
The short window allotted for negotiations played a role. So did the core groups of a few of the title-contending teams opting to stay together. Atlanta, New York, Las Vegas and Indiana all re-signed their stars, leaving fewer noteworthy moves among the league’s upper echelon of free agents.
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But one offseason move sent a jolt: Satou Sabally’s departure from the Phoenix Mercury.
She signed a two-year deal with the New York Liberty valued at over $1.6 million over the 2026 and 2027 seasons, a source familiar with the terms confirmed to The Athletic. Though illness kept her from playing in the Liberty’s 84-74 win over the Mercury on Wednesday night, Sabally’s curious exit from The Valley was brought back into the spotlight before the teams met.
When asked to describe her departure from Phoenix, she focused on discussing her future and the value of being in an environment that “encourages” and “believes” in her.
“I think (leaving) was just something that I had to do for my own protection,” she said without providing further clarification.
Sabally was the Mercury’s leading scorer during her lone season in Phoenix, averaging 16.3 points per game. She increased her scoring output in the postseason to 19 points per game before suffering a concussion Oct. 8 during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.
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She had to be helped off the court and back to the locker room by teammate Kalani Brown and a member of the Mercury’s security staff, spending that night in the hospital before being released to recover at home. She was ruled out for Game 4 of the finals and dealt with lingering effects, including missing the Unrivaled season during the offseason. At the time, Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts expressed confidence in the Mercury’s handling of Sabally’s concussion. He reiterated that sentiment Wednesday.
Sabally said her concussion “probably” had an impact on her time in Phoenix, but she later clarified that she believes the Mercury appropriately managed her concussion and it wasn’t the reason she left the team.
Sabally’s addition to the Liberty was intended to add another elite scoring threat to an already explosive offensive juggernaut anchored by two-time MVP Breanna Stewart. She has logged minutes in three of the Liberty’s first eight regular-season games. Her first four scratches were due to a cyst. She made her Liberty debut last Thursday against the Golden State Valkyries, finishing with 5 points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.
She recorded a 20-point game against the Dallas Wings on Sunday. In the Liberty’s game the next night against the Portland Fire, she played just four minutes before heading back to the locker room in the first quarter with an “illness.”
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Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said Sabally’s absence is unrelated to the concussion she sustained last year. He added she is questionable for Friday’s game against the Mercury.
The Mercury acquired Sabally in a blockbuster trade in 2025 that, in the end, included four teams. The deal resulted in the Mercury sending Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen to the Connecticut Sun, the rights to Kiki Herbert Harrigan and the 12th pick in the 2025 draft to the Dallas Wings, and Sophie Cunningham and the 19th pick in the 2025 draft to the Indiana Fever.
In addition to Sabally, the Mercury acquired Brown and six-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas. But a year later, the sense from Sabally and the Mercury was that their pairing was no longer working.
Despite Sabally’s production, Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren opted not to core her, making Sabally an unrestricted free agent, which she said was “relatively” surprising. “But I also know that they wanted to keep their options open,” she said. The conversations she had with U’Ren and Tibbetts during free agency were “respectful.”
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The core designation is similar to the NFL’s franchise tag. It comes with a one-year fully guaranteed supermax qualifying offer, giving a franchise exclusive negotiating power over a player. The team and player can negotiate terms of the contract. The tag can also be used to sign-and-trade the player, preventing the team from losing a free agent without any return.
Thomas said the Mercury’s big three — herself, Sabally and Kahleah Copper — had a hard time having discussions about running it back without a CBA in place. “Most of our efforts were into the CBA,” Thomas said. “And yeah, that’s what we talked about.”
“They have a choice, we have a choice,” Tibbetts said Tuesday after practice at a basketball facility on the Lower East Side. “Hard decisions have to be made, and it was in a condensed time frame. She’s hopefully happy with her decision, and we’re happy with where we’re at.”
Neither the Mercury nor the Liberty are in a good position early in the season. Both teams have been hampered by injuries and late arrivals to key players compounding the typical challenges associated with developing cohesion among new groups.
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Phoenix was 14th in league standings entering Wednesday’s game against the Liberty — just less than eight months removed from the trip to the finals.
The biggest hurdle the Mercury have faced in replacing Sabally is her scoring ability, Tibbetts said.
“She’s one of the elite scorers in our league,” Tibbetts said. “So just that immediate threat. I think we have it collectively. We talked about that, but again, the injuries, people coming in late, we haven’t found our rhythm.”
That was true again Wednesday night as the Mercury’s lack of connectivity was on full display. In the third quarter, their offense broke down under a steady hammering from the Liberty’s full-court press. New York ended the third quarter on a 23-0 run, outscoring the Mercury 30-12 in the frame.
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Marine Johannes led all scorers with 21 points. Jonquel Jones had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Stewart finished with 11 points. The Mercury’s loss dropped them to 2-6. The Liberty improved their record to 4-4.
Both teams are missing Sabally’s contributions. The Mercury are missing her production, but the Liberty are missing what they could be with her.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, WNBA
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