Satou Sabally will have a new home in the WNBA in 2025.
Could it be with the Indiana Fever?
Sabally, who has played her entire career in Dallas, announced during a media availability for Unrivaled, the new 3×3 league in Miami, that she will not be returning to the Wings in 2025.
“I’ve already communicated with Dallas how grateful I am, because they’ve made this a home for me for the past years,” Sabally said over Zoom. “I’m working with them together in finding a next home for me, because I’ve already played my last game in Dallas.”
The 26-year-old has been regarded as one of the best power forwards in the WNBA since she was drafted to Dallas out of the University of Oregon with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft. She was an All-Star in 2021 and ‘23, and was the leader of the German national team in the Paris Olympics.
The 6-4 forward has had some injury problems throughout her five years in the league, including an Achilles tear, concussion, and shoulder, knee, and ankle injuries. That limited her to just one full season (38 games in a Most Improved Player campaign in 2023) when she was with Dallas. She played 18 of Dallas’ 22 games during the 2020 season, which was affected by COVID-19, 17 of 32 games in 2021, 11 of 36 games in 2022, and 15 of 40 games in 2024.
Still, those injuries shouldn’t affect the offers she gets — she will likely command a maximum salary. Over her five years, she has averaged 15.7 points, seven rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game when healthy.
Sabally played through her rookie contract, then signed a one-year deal with Dallas in restricted free agency in 2024. She is eligible to be cored by the Wings, and they will likely execute that option in order to get something back for their star forward.
So, what can the Fever offer the Wings to potentially get Sabally on their roster?
It would likely start with Fever forward NaLyssa Smith and Indiana’s No. 8 pick in the 2025 draft.
Smith, the 2022 No. 2 pick in the draft, is on the last year of her rookie contract. Her salary for 2025 is slated to be around $90,000, which is protected. Smith had a down year in 2024 and publicly voiced her frustrations with her playing time throughout the season, as her minutes decreased in favor of backup forward Temi Fagbenle (who was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft).
Smith averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in 2024 (down from 15.5 points and 9.2 rebounds in 2023), so she could use a fresh start in a different place. She could have multiple years of control, as she will be a restricted free agent in 2026. Her name has appeared consistently on trade boards throughout the offseason, and she could be a good fit in Dallas — she is from San Antonio, Texas, and played at Baylor in Waco.
Smith, along with the Fever’s No. 8 pick, would be a solid trade package for Sabally — who only has up to two years of control left in two core service years.
The problem the Fever could eventually run into, though, is their current intention to core Kelsey Mitchell.
Mitchell has two years of core service left, which is a supermaximum salary of around $249,000 in exchange for exclusive negotiating rights, and the Fever are planning to use the first of them in 2025. It wouldn’t be an immediate issue — a sign-and-trade for Sabally means her core designation wouldn’t show up on either Dallas’ or Indiana’s books in 2025.
The Wings did a similar transaction to trade Skylar Diggins-Smith to the Mercury in 2020 — Diggins-Smith was cored by Dallas and traded to Phoenix, which had already cored Brittney Griner. Because Diggins-Smith was not specifically cored by Phoenix, the Mercury could have both players on those contracts.
The Fever could afford both Mitchell and Sabally in 2025, as well. Indiana has nine players under contract for 2025 with around $657,000 of cap space left after those contracts. With Mitchell’s $250,000 supermax salary and Sabally’s $230,000 max salary, Indiana would still have money left over to sign a solid player for their 12th roster spot.
The problem could come in 2026, when both Mitchell and Sabally are still core-eligible and on the Fever’s books. It’s unlikely that either of them would sign more than a one-year deal this season, because the renegotiated collective bargaining agreement will likely give players exponentially better salaries starting in 2026. Indiana may, in that situation, have to choose between coring Mitchell or Sabally — risking to let the other one walk.
All of this, too, is assuming Sabally would agree to come to the Fever.
There will likely be multiple other teams in the mix for the star forward, who can essentially choose where she wants to go. During her Zoom availability, she expressed interest in playing with her sister, Nyara Sabally, who currently plays for the New York Liberty.
“Yeah, of course, in the future, I would love that,” Sabally said, according to ESPN.
The reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty have multiple players they could trade, including the rights to guards Marine Johannes or Rebekah Gardner or first-round draft pick Marquesha Davis. New York also has the No. 7 pick, which was originally the Mercury’s in the 2025 draft, because of multiple trades.
New York also has the cap room to sign Sabally, at least for 2025. Sabally would be reunited with her sister, her Oregon teammate Sabrina Ionescu, and play on a championship contender immediately.
For the Fever to overcome the prospect of playing with her sister and one of her close friends on the reigning champion team, or other offers lobbied Sabally’s way, they would need to both convince the Wings with a comprehensive trade package and Sabally herself of the advantages of playing in Indiana — which, of course, include playing with rookie phenom Caitlin Clark in sold out games, both at home and on the road, and the extensive media coverage that comes with that.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Satou Sabally isn’t returning to Dallas. Could she join Indiana Fever?
