Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The New York Liberty are rebuilding their championship core after a disappointing first-round exit in 2025.
- A high-impact free agent with elite playmaking abilities has joined forces with former MVPs and rising stars to reshape the team's offense.
- This addition dramatically improves the Liberty's title chances for 2026, putting them in direct competition with last year's champions.
In 2025, the New York Liberty started 9-0 and looked to have a great shot to repeat as WNBA champions, but things slowly fell apart, and the team's season ended with a first-round loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
How do you avoid that fate again? Well, adding one of the best free agents on the market helps, and that's exactly what the Liberty did on Saturday by signing Satou Sabally to a multi-year deal. Now, the Liberty look like favorites once again heading into the 2026 season.
Projected New York Liberty starting lineup
Position | Player |
|---|---|
G | TBA |
G | Sabrina Ionescu |
F | Satou Sabally |
F | Breanna Stewart |
C | Jonquel Jones |
The new core four of Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Satou Sabally and Sabrina Ionescu have all committed to the Liberty for next season, leaving only point guard in question. Natasha Cloud could return, or the team could slide Marine Johannes into the starting unit, or Ionescu could move back to point guard with Leonie Fiebich starting at the two.
But even without that fifth starting spot settled at the moment, this has the makings of a very good team. You have two former MVPs, then two players on the younger side who have looked like stars at times. Figuring out that final starting spot is still hugely important, but the Liberty certainly look like title contenders with the addition of Sabally.
How Satou Sabally turns New York Liberty into favorites
I don't want to be that guy. I don't want to put this energy out into the world. Unfortunately, I think it has to be said: Breanna Stewart might not be a top-five player for too much longer. After a 2025 season that saw her shoot a career-worst 24.1 percent from 3-point range and average her most turnovers since 2020, I'm worried that we may have seen the best of Stewart already. That's why adding another playmaker to the frontcourt was so important.
New York tried to do that during the 2025 season witht he midseason addition of Emma Meesseman, but the former Finals MVP just wasn't the answer New York was looking for. But Sabally? She very much should be.
While her shooting has been inconsistent across her WNBA career, Sabally has shown flashes of being an elite 3-and-D wing, and she's also shown that she can make plays with the ball in her hands. Her assist numbers dipped last year by virtue of playing beside Alyssa Thomas, but in 2024, Sabally averaged 5.0 assists per game with the Dallas Wings, showcasing her ability to make high-level decisions. Adding someone with Sabally's passing vision to this frontcourt will really unlock things for this offense.
Satou Sabally has agreed to a multiyear deal to join the New York Liberty, per @ShamsCharania, @alexaphilippou and @kendra__andrews
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 11, 2026
Liberty are LOADED 😳 pic.twitter.com/YKNPlhxUvr
It's also worth noting that the chemistry between Sabally and Ionescu should be a major factor in New York's potential success. The former Oregon teammates may not have played together in a few years, but the two turned the Ducks into contenders during their time in Eugene. Coming off a season where she shot a career-low 29.9 percent from deep, maybe the addition of Sabally is what Ionescu needs to get her shooting touch back.
This isn't to say that the Liberty won't have things to figure out. Jones, Stewart and Sabally in the frontcourt is a pretty big group, as Stewart and Sabally both ideally fit best as stretch fours. While Sabally has plenty of experience playing the three, the Liberty are definitely going to need either her or Stewart to start shooting a bit better to make the fit work right. And defensively, some of the league's more athletic small forwards could certainly pose a problem.
But overall, the Liberty have put together a very good core. This has the makings of a championship team.
New York Liberty's biggest competition in 2026
If the Liberty are going to win the title, though, they'll have to get past a familiar face: the Las Vegas Aces.
While the Minnesota Lynx haven't necessarily improved much — and may be a bit worse after losing Jessica Shepard to the Dallas Wings — the Aces have retained their core and have been strongly connected to free agent Gabby Williams.
The Aces have a similar issue to the Liberty — concerns about shooting — but were the better team last season on their way to the WNBA title. Sabally joining the Liberty definitely shrinks the gap, but I'm not sure it totally erases it...yet.
I say "yet" because New York probably isn't done here. The right move at point guard could change everything. But even if I'd take the Aces at the moment in a series, New York is clearly right there with them. Sabally ups the ceiling tremendously, and should help the Liberty avoid the second-half meltdown from 2025.