Last year’s expansion draft cost the New York Liberty dearly. Kayla Thornton had been an integral part of the Liberty’s championship team and showed her true potential during her All-Star season with the Valkyries. Once the CBA is sorted out, the Liberty will have to navigate another expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. While the rules for the next expansion draft are still unclear, the Liberty will undoubtedly have to make some difficult decisions.
The Liberty will surely want to hold on to Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Leonie Fiebich, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, whose absence was painfully obvious during the 2025 season. The rest of the roster may undergo some serious changes, though, and the front office will have to make some difficult decisions about Nyara Sabally’s future with the team. On the latest episode of No Offseason, The Athletic’s Ben Pickman noted that he “wouldn’t bank necessarily on her coming back.”
Sabally was the Liberty’s first-round pick in 2022 and showed great potential at times. However, her young career has been defined by injuries. She never played more than 33 games in a season. She is also one of only two players younger than 27 on the Liberty’s current roster since they cut Jaylyn Sherrod to sign Emma Meesseman. So, the Liberty will have to decide what they value more: young talent or availability? If the Liberty choose not to protect Sabally in the expansion draft, it will present the Tempo and Fire with a similar choice: should they pursue young talent, even if it comes with a risk, or select players they know can contribute consistently?
Nyara Sabally could be an interesting addition to an expansion team
Sabally played a big role in the Liberty’s 2024 championship run. She recorded 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in only 17 minutes on the court in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals when Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggled immensely. That game encapsulated Sabally’s potential.
A bigger role on an expansion team with less pressure to win than the Liberty could be enough to see Sabally put together games like that regularly. That potential plus her experience of playing for a championship team despite only entering her fourth season should make her an intriguing prospect for the Tempo and Fire.
There is a lot more to consider, though. Sabally’s injury history creates a risk that expansion teams have to consider. She may not be available enough to be a focal point of a team’s offense. That is usually a red flag to teams trying to build a winning roster and a risk worth taking for teams just hoping to accumulate young talent. The Tempo and/or Fire may very well fall into the latter category.