Satou Sabally agreed to a multi-year deal with the New York Liberty on Saturday, reuniting with former Oregon teammate Sabrina Ionescu in a blockbuster free agency move.
Satou Sabally is heading to New York. The three-time All-Star forward agreed to a multiyear deal with the Liberty on Saturday, the first day of the WNBA's free agency signing period, as first reported by ESPN.
Sabally, 27, spent the 2025 season with the Phoenix Mercury after being acquired in a blockbuster four-team trade on Feb. 2, 2025, that also involved the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun. She emerged as Phoenix's leading scorer, averaging 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals across 39 games as part of a Big 3 alongside Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper. The trio led the Mercury to the WNBA Finals before the defending champion Las Vegas Aces swept Phoenix for the title. Sabally averaged 21.7 points in the series before suffering a concussion in Game 3 that forced her to miss the decisive fourth game.
Her decision to join New York was driven by a desire to compete for a championship and a belief in the culture the Liberty have built, a source told ESPN. New York won the WNBA title in 2024.
The signing reunites Sabally with former Oregon teammate Sabrina Ionescu, who has announced her intention to re-sign with New York. The two helped lead the Ducks to the program's first Final Four in 2019 before being selected with the top two picks in the 2020 WNBA Draft — Ionescu going first to New York and Sabally second to Dallas. Sabally also reunites with Leonie Fiebich, with whom she has played alongside at Valencia Basket during WNBA offseasons.
The move also carries a family dimension. Sabally's sister, Nyara, spent two seasons with the Liberty before being selected by the Toronto Tempo in this year's expansion draft.
Also Saturday, center Jonquel Jones agreed to a multiyear deal to return to New York, a source confirmed to ESPN. The five-time All-Star averaged 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 31 games last season after missing time with ankle injuries. Jones, who won WNBA MVP in 2021 — becoming the first player in league history to win MVP, Sixth Woman of the Year, and Most Improved Player — has spent the past three seasons with the Liberty after six years with the Connecticut Sun.
Sabally joins a Liberty roster that also includes two-time MVP Breanna Stewart, who has announced her intention to re-sign. New York posted back-to-back Finals appearances in 2023 and 2024, winning it all the second time around, before a rash of injuries derailed their 2025 campaign and ended their season in the first round of the playoffs.
Sabally had been sidelined from Unrivaled in January while managing lingering concussion symptoms from the Finals.