Ever since Satou Sabally liked some social media comments recruiting her to the Indiana Fever after the 2024 season, WNBA fans have been wondering if the two-time All-Star truly wants to leave Dallas and if she could actually end up in Indiana. The first question has been answered. Sabally has reportedly communicated her desire to leave Dallas to the Wings, making her the second star potentially on the move this offseason after Jewell Loyd requested a trade in early December.
While Sabally will be a free agent, it is not as simple as it seems. The Wings do not want to lose someone like Sabally without getting anything in return, so they will most likely core her and listen to trade offers from other teams around the league.
Trading for Sabally does not come without risks. So far in her career, she has not been able to stay healthy reliably, playing only 97 games over five WNBA seasons. But when she is healthy, she is one of the top players in the league. So, teams will likely line up to try to land her in a trade and improve their chances of competing.
The Fever should be one of those teams. Sabally would be a great fit next to Aliyah Boston and the perfect upgrade over NaLyssa Smith at the four, primarily due to her ability to space the floor. A team featuring Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and Satou Sabally would be almost unstoppable offensively.
There are still some problems, though, and the biggest one is that the Fever probably wouldn’t even have the best offer for Sabally.
The Fever might need Sabally to request a trade to Indiana to win the bidding war
If the Fever inquire about Sabally, their initial offer will most likely be NaLyssa Smith paired with some draft assets. That’s what makes the most sense for Indiana, but it might not be especially enticing to Dallas, especially compared to what other teams could offer. The Chicago Sky could offer the third overall pick in this year’s draft if they really wanted to, and New York could offer draft assets paired with intriguing rotational players, like Leonie Fiebich. If Fiebich is on the table (which is questionable considering the role she played for the Liberty during the playoffs) New York easily has the best offer.
The only way the Fever could outbid those offers would likely be by parting ways with Lexie Hull. Given the state of Indiana’s defense, that seems incredibly unlikely to happen.
But, there is another way Sabally can end up with the Fever. If Sabally requests to be traded specifically to Indiana, other teams will be wary of trading for her—there really is little reason to ship out significant assets for someone who does not want to play for your team—and the Wings might be inclined to send her to her preferred destination.
Joining the Fever certainly could be enticing for Sabally. Playing with a generational talent always has its perks, and the Fever may be a young team, but they are getting ready to win at a much higher level than they did last season.
But will playing on a young up-and-coming team be more interesting to Sabally than joining the reigning champions and her sister in New York if that opportunity presents itself? If Sabally’s goal is to win as much as possible, maybe even without having to commit long-term for the time being, the answer is probably no.