The former Dallas Wings forward is one of the top free agents in the class. But the Mystics don’t have much cap room and they are likely rebuilding.
On Thursday, Alexa Philippou of ESPN wrote that Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally will not sign with the team she began her career with after playing for them for the last five seasons. Philippou interviewed Sabally during Unrivaled’s media availability when the German American star said this.
I’ve already communicated with Dallas how grateful I am, because they’ve made this a home for me for the past years, and I’m working with them together and finding a next home for me. I’ve already played my last game in Dallas.
Sabally averaged 17.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the 2024 WNBA season.
With Sabally now available to play for any team, in theory, any WNBA team except the Wings could sign her. So why would the Mystics want to sign her?
- Sabally would be the best player on the team — If she buys into Washington’s vision of being part of a team where she can develop as a person and as a player, that would be nice. Also. her arrival would be a good thing for Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger and Mystics General Manager Jamila Wideman, especially if they can get her to re-sign in 2-2026 for the major free agency bonanza.
- Despite being a European player, Sabally hasn’t skipped parts of a WNBA season for Women’s EuroBasket — Sabally is American-born and went to college at Oregon. But has German citizenship through her mother and is fluent in German. Sabally played for the Germans in the 2024 Olympics but did not play for them in 2023 in Women’s EuroBasket. Germany will co-host EuroBasket in 2025, but it’s unclear as to whether she will skip part of the WNBA season for it. So, if you are a Mystics fan, hopefully, she continues to stay stateside this summer, just like playing for Unrivaled during the winter. Don’t get me wrong, if players want to represent their country, the decision should be respected. However, as we’ve seen with Emma Meesseman for Belgium from 2017-21, EuroBasket is a distraction to a WNBA team’s success, given the lack of a break for continental tournaments.
- The Mystics have the room to sign her to a maximum salary — Washington has about $523,340 in cap space to sign three to four players, according to Her Hoop Stats. That’s enough for them to sign her with a maximum one year contract. Remember, no WNBA player will sign for longer than a one year contract.
Now, why would Sabally NOT want to sign with Washington?
- The Mystics have a brand new and unproven coaching staff — Head Coach Sydney Johnson doesn’t have a large enough track record in the WNBA or women’s basketball.
- Washington is likely rebuilding — Assuming the Mystics will deconstruct, it’s a good bet that, at the very least, Ariel Atkins or Brittney Sykes will be on other teams in the 2025 season. Sabally probably doesn’t want any part of spending most of her prime on a team that figures to be among the WNBA’s worst in the standings before and after the 2026 free agency bonanza.
What do you think about Sabally and her free agency? Let us know in the comments below.