Dallas Wings star Satou Sabally confirmed she will not re-sign with the team in free agency this winter. "I've already played my last game in Dallas," Sabally said during her media availability session ahead of the inaugural Unrivaled season.
This news does not come as a major surprise, as Sabally is an unrestricted free agent and hinted at leaving the Wings earlier this offseason. "It's a lot of movement for me this offseason," Sabally said in a video posted to TikTok back in October. "The decision of moving with a potentially different shoe brand, but also the decision to change teams."
Sabally told reporters on Thursday she is "working with [the Wings] together to find the next home for me." This suggests the Wings will use the "Core player" designation on Sabally in order to obtain exclusive negotiating rights with her once free agency starts. That way, the Wings can work on a sign-and-trade to send Sabally to her preferred destination and ensure they don't lose her for nothing.
The former No. 2 overall pick, Sabally is one of the top free agents on the board despite her extensive injury history. Since entering the league in 2020, she has yet to reach the 100-game mark and has made 17 or fewer appearances in four of her five seasons.
Her talent is not in question, though, and when healthy she has proven to be one of the best, most versatile forwards in the league. In her lone full season in 2023, she put up 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 36.1% from 3-point range and led the Wings to their first playoff series win since 2009, when they were still based in Detroit. For her efforts, Sabally won Most Improved Player, made the All-Star Game, earned First Team All-WNBA honors and finished fifth in MVP voting.
Sabally was unable to follow up on that campaign last summer after she underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason. She was limited to 15 games, and by the time she came back after the Olympics the Wings were 6-19. Things did not get any better from there. Even though the Wings cleaned house after the season and won the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, it's clear Sabally is ready for a new challenge with a team that's ready to compete right now.
The reigning champion New York Liberty stand out as a potential option because that's where Sabally's sister, Nyara, plays. However, New York's frontcourt could get a bit crowded with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones already in place. The up-and-coming Indiana Fever, meanwhile, would be a perfect fit for all parties. Indiana needs help in the frontcourt and has a ready-made trade piece in NaLyssa Smith.
For now, though, we'll just have to wait. Teams can begin making qualifying offers and core player designations for their own players as soon as Saturday, but cannot discuss terms with free agents until Jan. 21.
