THE Unrivaled Professional 3-on-3 Women’s Basketball League made her debut Friday in Miami, Fla., just before WNBA free agency opened Tuesday.
At the new league’s press conference Thursday, Natasha Cloud of the Phoenix Mercury called Unrivaled the “best place” to sign WNBA free agents, namely Satou Sabally, a two-time All-Star for the Dallas Wings.
Cloud, Phoenix’s starting point guard, said his Mercury recruiting pitch to Sabally included offering his Valley home for Sabally to join Phoenix. They are teammates on Phantom BC in Unrivaled.
“At the end of the day, I’m really a person that thinks whatever’s best for Satou moving forward, that’s what I want for Satou moving forward,” Cloud said. She added whimsically, “If it’s Phoenix, I’ll literally tell her, I’ll give up my apartment if she wants it too.
Cloud is known for her blunt sense of humor and her searing political stances during media sessions and on social networks. She also joked that she was ready to “break up” if she noticed non-Phantom BC and Sabally players privately conversing about recruiting her to other WNBA teams.
Sabally’s other Phantom BC (basketball club) teammates are Brittney Griner of Phoenix, Sabrina Ionescu of the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty, Marina Mabrey of Connecticut and Katie Lou Samuelson of Indiana. Phantom BC plays its first game against the Laces Saturday at 12 p.m. on truTV.
Sabally is entering his fifth year out of Oregon. Last season, she was the Wings’ second-leading scorer at 17.9 points per game behind Arike Ogunbowale, Phoenix 2024 All-Star Game MVPhad 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals and was ranked third on the team in 3-point percentage out of her career-high 45.2%. Sabally won the Most Improved Player award in 2023, was selected to the All-WNBA first team and finished fifth in MVP voting that same year.
The 6-4 forward Sabally announced last week that she was done playing for Dallas as she looked for a new destination for the 2025 season. However, she cannot freely enter free agency because the Wings offered a basic qualifying offer Monday to retain exclusive negotiating rights in free agency.
That means Sabally can agree to a one-year supermax contract with Dallas, or the two sides can mutually agree to a sign-and-trade deal sending him to a team they both want. Additionally, Sabally has the right to veto a trade destination or sit out next season if she and Dallas cannot reach an agreement.
The Wings are rebuilding. They missed the 2024 playoffs with the second-worst record in the league (9-31). They hold the top pick in the 2025 draft as they enter the lottery for the third straight year and hired Chris Koclanes in December as their third coach in five years.
Many WNBA experts believe Sabally’s next team could be New York. Ionescu is a former teammate of Sabally’s at Oregon. They reached the 2019 Final Four together and her sister Nyara Sabally is Ionescu’s teammate in New York, which could make Ionescu’s recruiting field more attractive due to their familiarity.
“I think mine is a little different because we played together in college and I would say I try to help her and advise her whether she comes to New York or not,” Ionescu said .
Phoenix, Indiana and Las Vegas could also be in the mix for Sabally. Each of these playoff contenders is in win-now mode. The veteran Phoenix finished 19-21 last year and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by runner-up Minnesota.
Players can begin negotiating with WNBA teams and begin signing new deals on February 1.
This article was originally published on Arizona Republic: Cloud recruits his unrivaled teammate, Wings star Sabally to join Mercury
