The New York Liberty announced that former Oregon forward Nyara Sabally signed her rookie scale contract, securing the 2022 fifth overall pick a $71,300 salary for 2023 if she makes the final roster.
Sabally was drafted last year by New York with the knowledge that she might end up sitting for the entire year, and that ended up being the case as she took a job as an assistant coach at Sacramento State while rehabbing and preparing to make her WNBA debut in 2023.
Now Sabally is ready to go, but she faces a New York roster that was completely overhauled this offseason. Former Oregon teammate Sabrina Ionescu is still in tow, but she is now joined by former MVP Jonquel Jones, former Seattle Storm superstar Breanna Stewart, and point guard Courtney Vandersloot – forming an absolute superteam in the Big Apple.
Sabally will compete for backup post minutes behind Jones, although she will face stiff competition from Stef Dolson and Han Xu – who emerged as a dynamic bench threat last season for the Liberty.
Sabally absolutely has the skills as a passing big to play real minutes in New York, but the significant talent influx this offseason could also push the Liberty to try dealing Sabally if they don’t believe she will secure one of the few available roster spots when training camp gets going this spring.
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