The Unrivaled women’s 3-on-3 pro women’s basketball league debuted Friday in Miami (Fla.), which comes just ahead of WNBA free agency opening Tuesday.
During the new league’s Thursday media availability, the Phoenix Mercury’s Natasha Cloud called Unrivaled “the best place” to recruit for WNBA free agents, namely the Dallas Wings’ two-time All-Star Satou Sabally.
Cloud, Phoenix’s starting point guard, said her Mercury recruiting pitch to Sabally includes offering her Valley home for Sabally to join Phoenix. They are teammates on Phantom BC in Unrivaled.
“At the end of the day I’m very much a person that whatever is best for Satou moving forward, that’s what I want for Satou moving forward,” Cloud said. She whimsically added, “If that is Phoenix, I will literally tell her I will give up my apartment if she wants that too.”
Cloud is known for her blunt sense of humor and political hot takes during media sessions and on social media. She also loudly joked that she’s willing to “break it up” if she notices non-Phantom BC players and Sabally privately conversing to recruit her to other WNBA teams.
Sabally’s other Phantom BC (basketball club) teammates are Phoenix’s Brittney Griner, the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey, and Indiana’s Katie Lou Samuelson. Phantom BC plays its first game against the Laces on Saturday at 12 p.m. on truTV.
Sabally is entering her fifth year out of Oregon. Last season, she was the Wings’ second-best scorer at 17.9 points per game behind the 2024 Phoenix All-Star Game MVP Arike Ogunbowale, grabbed 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals and was ranked third on the team in 3-point percentage on her career-best 45.2%. Sabally earned the 2023 Most Improved Player award, was an All-WNBA First Team selection and was fifth in MVP voting that same year.
The 6-4 forward Sabally announced last week that she’s done playing for Dallas as she is seeking a new destination for the 2025 season. However, she can’t freely walk in free agency because the Wings extended a core qualifying offer to her on Monday to retain exclusive negotiating rights in free agency.
That means Sabally can accept a one-year supermax deal from Dallas, or both parties can mutually work out a sign-and-trade sending her to a team they both want. In addition, Sabally has the right to veto a trade destination or sit out next season if she and Dallas don’t come to an agreement.
The Wings are in a rebuild. They missed the 2024 playoffs having the league’s second-worst record (9-31). They hold the 2025 draft’s No. 1 overall pick while in the lottery for the third straight year, and hired Chris Koclanes as their third coach in five years in December.
Many WNBA pundits believe Sabally’s next team could be New York. Ionescu is a former Oregon teammate to Sabally. They reached the 2019 Final Four together, and her sister Nyara Sabally is Ionescu’s New York teammate, which might make Ionescu’s recruiting pitch more attractive from their familiarity.
“I think mine’s a little bit different because we played together in college and I would say I’m trying to help and advise her regardless if she comes to New York or not,” Ionescu said.
Phoenix, Indiana, and Las Vegas could be in the mix for Sabally, too. Each of those playoff contenders are in win-now mode. The veteran-heavy Phoenix finished on a 19-21 record last year and was eliminated in the playoffs’ first round by the championship runner-up Minnesota.
Players can begin negotiating with WNBA teams and start signing new deals on Feb. 1.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cloud recruits Unrivaled teammate, Wings star Sabally to join Mercury
