How Mercury, Fever, Wings fared in blockbuster WNBA trade

Where Satou Sabally was going to play next WNBA season has been a massive source of speculation for weeks. And just a few hours away from WNBA free agency officially beginning, on Friday evening, ESPN reported that the Dallas Wings are trading Sabally to the Phoenix Mercury in a three-team trade. Alongside Sabally, the Wings acquire center Kalani Brown and point guard Sevgi Uzun from Dallas.

As part of the trade, the Wings will receive Ty Harris (who played for the Connecticut Sun last season but was acquired by the Phoenix Mercury in the Alyssa Thomas trade). They’ll also land Mercury forward Kiki Herbert Harrigan and Indiana forward Fever NaLyssa Smith.

The Fever, meanwhile, acquired guard Sophie Cunningham and the Mercury’s 2025 No. 19 pick. Cunningham was a Sixth Player of the Year candidate for much of last season, averaging 8.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Full three-team trade details:

Sabally has spent her entire career in Dallas since being drafted with the No. 2 pick in 2020. Earlier this month, she was cored by the Wings, meaning that she would be offered a one-year, $249,000 contract — or she could request a trade. Sabally made clear in her first Unrivaled media availability that she wanted to head elsewhere, particularly emphasizing a desire to join an organization with facilities and a prioritization of investment by the owners.

The Mercury — who unveiled a brand-new practice facility in July — fit the bill. On Friday night, Sabally agreed to the sign-and-trade, and in turn, she joined Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper in headlining a new Big Three in Phoenix.

In September, Sophie Cunningham told SB Nation that her biggest contribution to the Phoenix Mercury was her leadership.

“It’s being the glue of the team and making sure that all these personalities, and sometimes egos, are all coming together, and trying to create a great culture and a great environment for people to thrive and be successful,” Cunningham said. “And so for me, it’s pretty much off-court stuff. It’s about building chemistry. It’s about building rhythm. And then when you have that, and you have that type of team, naturally things go pretty well for those teams on the corner as well.”

But, her on-court contributions weren’t too shabby, either. Last season, Cunningham shot 37.8% from three — and now, she provides another floor spacer for the Indiana Fever to work with alongside Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, and Natasha Howard — whose signing was announced and reported by ESPN earlier on Friday. Either Cunningham or Hull will likely come off the bench — but having two players who can spread the floor and hit open threes alongside Clark and Mitchell is the ultimate luxury.

As part of the three-team trade, the Wings acquired NaLyssa Smith from the Fever. Smith, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, had a down year last season — and mostly fell out of the rotation in the postseason. But, just a year ago, Smith averaged 15.5 points and 9.2 rebounds on 47.7% shooting in Indiana. She’ll likely benefit from a scenery change — and, from her immediate social media activity, which included updating her Instagram bio and posting a photo with Wings star Arike Ogunbowale, it seems she’s embracing the change.

In addition to Smith, the Wings acquired Ty Harris, who is coming off a career season with the Connecticut Sun. Harris averaged 10.5 points and 3 assists last year while shooting 39.5% from three. Harris is a reliable playmaker who can immediately play alongside Ogunbowale. They also acquired Kiki Herbert Harrigan from Phoenix, who averaged 3.2 points in 10.8 minutes per game last season.

Alongside Sabally, the Wings lose two rotation players in Sevgi Uzun (4.4 points, 3 assists) and Kalani Brown (5.7 points, 3.1 rebounds). But, the return is substantial — especially if Smith can return to her 2023 form.

Friday’s trade was a perfect reminder of what happens when a superstar wants out. In this case, six other players got moved (Sophie Cunningham, Satou Sabally, Kalani Brown, Sevgi Uzun, Ty Harris, Kiki Herbert Harrigan, and NaLyssa Smith). Who is the ultimate winner from the trade remains to be seen, but at least right now, it appears that the Mercury have positioned themselves well with a brand-new core of Sabally, Thomas, and Copper.