ESPN Report Makes Satou Sabally's WNBA Free Agency Priorities Clear

Dallas Wings star Satou Sabally has one thing top of mind when deciding her next WNBA team.
Sep 24, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally (0) dribbles downcourt during the first half of game one of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Sep 24, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally (0) dribbles downcourt during the first half of game one of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dallas Wings superstar Satou Sabally made it extremely clear earlier this month that she will be playing for a new team during the 2025 WNBA season.

Several destinations would seem to make sense for Sabally, at least as it pertains to her fit on the court. One of these is the Indiana Fever.

However, a January 21 article from The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant wrote, "There also isn’t a perfect fit for what the Fever require in this free agency class, unless they can trade for Sabally... It’s risky to trade for Sabally for one season, and talk around the league is that Indiana is not one of Sabally’s preferred markets."

Although a January 28 report from ESPN's Kendra Andrews suggests that one recently improved aspect of the Fever franchise could change Sabally's mind.

"I'm told that she's going to be starting some conversations and some meetings with teams imminently," Andrews said, per an X post from @espnW. "Sabally's number one thing that she's looking for in free agency is... great organizational infrastructure. That means facilities. That means resources.

"And she has been very outspoken about this at Unrivaled, where she's playing right now," Andrews added.

She then discussed how Sabally has made it clear that she'll be less inclined to join a team that doesn't have an owner or franchise that's willing to invest in its players.

This pertains to the Fever because it was announced earlier this month that they would be beginning to build a state-of-the-art performance and practice facility that's going to be 108,000 square feet and is valued at $78 million.

While the facility won't be complete until before the 2027 season, perhaps this can convince Sabally that Indiana would be the future team for her, even if her initial meetings are reportedly with the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty.


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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.