Satou Sabally Reveals 'Crazy' Circumstances That Led to Wings Trade Request
One of the biggest trades that took place during the WNBA offseason was a four-team deal that included former Dallas Wings star Satou Sabally and former Connecticut Sun MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas getting traded to the Phoenix Mercury.
While there were numerous other players involved in this deal (such as former Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham getting traded to the Indiana Fever and former Sun guard DiJonai Carrington getting traded to the Wings), the two biggest stars involved in the deal both ended up in Phoenix. And this has worked wonders for the Mercury, as they currently have a 27-14 record and seem like contenders to win a WNBA championship.
While it's impossible to say for certain what sparked this deal getting done, a key part of it was clearly Sabally's discontent in Dallas, as she requested a trade from the franchise earlier in the offseason.
Satou Sabally Talks Trade Request Away From Dallas Wings
Sabally was the guest on a September 5 episode of Sue Bird's Bird's Eye View podcast. And at one point in their discussion, the two spoke about what went into Sabally's request out of the Wings' franchise.
"It was really being around greatness," Sabally said when asked why she wanted to go to Phoenix. "I felt like I left everything in Dallas, and I poured so much into a club where I felt like there's no stability that will really give me the stability that I need, or like the groundworks. I felt like I gave everything. And I wasn't able to leave sooner, so that was the year to leave."
She later added, "Once I was [in Phoenix], I'm like, 'Oh, there was not a lot of resources [in Dallas].' Like, worrying about your own pregame meals, that's crazy. No shade at all, but I think we deserve to be in organizations that cater to their players, and this is what's happening here."
satou sabally on why she wanted to leave dallas
— samar (@apsamar_5) September 5, 2025
poverty franchises need to be shamed more, how do you expect pro athletes to perform at a high level when there are no basic resources?! pic.twitter.com/G97Ll4Yr6o
"So it's just different, and being able to follow legacy, and really try to fill those big shoes is, again, another challenge," Sabally added.
It's clear that Sabally's time with the Wings was coming to an end at the right time. And while she would have gotten to play alongside star rookie Paige Bueckers if she had remained in Dallas, she seems to be in a much better circumstance (at least for her) in having headed to the Mercury.
It would be interesting to hear what current Wings players thought about Sabally's comments.
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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.
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