THE LIBERTY SHAKE THINGS UP

The New York Liberty are hoping to get back into WNBA title contention, and their most recent moves might do the trick.

On April 11, ESPN’s Alexa Phillippou and Kendra Andrews reported that the Liberty signed free agent forward Satou Sabally. Sabally makes the move east after spending the 2025 season with the Phoenix Mercury.

Satou has long been rumored to come to New York, and the dream has become a reality. With Sabally, New York has the best frontcourt in basketball, and the team is signaling it is ready to jump right back into championship contention.

Sabally joins a Liberty team that is in need of rebounding help. The Liberty went from first in the WNBA in rebounding in 2024 to 11th in 2025. Sabally’s presence makes the Liberty frontcourt longer and even more impactful as she will play alongside Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart for new head coach Chris DeMarco.

On the latest edition of Gotta Get Up, Erica L. Ayala and I went in-depth on the Sabally acquisition and what it means for New York going forward.

New York’s work didn’t stop there as they signed Rebecca Allen, Raquel Carrera, and former Liberty forward Didi Richards, among other players. The Liberty hopes to rely on increased length and athleticism to make it through a taxing regular season and potentially a long playoff run.

The Liberty has a lot on its shoulders. With the signing of Sabally, they add one of the best players in the WNBA to a championship core.

As a result, more pressure will be on them to win and win big.

Can they do it?

We're a few weeks away from finding out.

Here’s what you need to know today:

🏀 A night with the Commissioner
Cathy Engelbert had a rough time with the media.

💰 Money moves
WNBA free agency has been fantastic.

📰 What we’re reading
Some great writing that’s come across our desks.

CATHY ENGELBERT’S ROUGH OUTING

Cathy Engelbert has had a rough go of it in public. When she was last on a WNBA court during the Finals, she was booed out of the building by fans in Phoenix. The last time she held a press conference at a league event with members of the media, she was feeling the heat following Napheesa Collier’s public criticisms. Engelbert met with the media prior to the Draft, and she had a lot to address.

It began with a conversation about the Connecticut Sun sale. Engelbert noted that during the expansion process, ownership groups from the Boston and New England areas did not submit bids for their own teams. She was asked what she would say to Sun fans who are frustrated with how the team sale went, and she called on them to support the team and said Connecticut is a great basketball state.

Cathy also mentioned that during CBA negotiations, she learned how important housing was to the players. Citing her two mid-20s children, Engelbert said she assumed housing wouldn’t be on the players’ minds given the increased salaries, but she learned otherwise during the process.

As we noted following the CBA agreement, finding housing is difficult enough. But for athletes who change cities frequently or may even be staying somewhere on a very short-term basis, finding housing is even more challenging. It’s good to see that the players’ views made an impact on her.

However, the moment of the presser came when she was asked about her job security. Earlier this year, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver deflected when asked directly about Engelbert’s future as WNBA Commissioner past 2026. At the media availability, Engelbert was asked directly how much longer she anticipates being in this role. Here is her answer:

“I do crack up how everybody is focused on me. You should be focused on the hundreds of amazing women and thousands of women who run this league outside of myself. Our women owners, our women Board of Governors, and our women GMs and women head coaches, and my whole team of diverse women and men who are working hard every day to get the 30th season tipped off by May 8th.

But I appreciate that you're focused on me as well. I wonder whether you would ask that of a man, by the way. But I realize as women we get asked different questions than men do.”

It should be noted that after she wondered if the reporter (Madeline Kenney of the New York Post), Maddie immediately interjected and said she would. And if you’re familiar with Maddie’s excellent work, you know she isn’t one to hold back from asking tough questions of people in leadership positions.

Cathy Engelbert has had some rough moments. She’s struggled to build good relationships with players, tends to rely too heavily on corporate speak, and poorly addresses issues, etc.

As she enters a new season, all eyes will be on her to ensure the game heads in the right direction.

FREE AGENCY IS HEATING UP

Training camp is due to begin on April 19, but there’s still plenty of work to be done in free agency. Here are some of the big moves that have occurred since we last saw you:

I’m sure by the time we return with the next edition of the WBB Roundup, there’ll be even more moves to report on!

These players all join teams that are either transitioning into a new era, hoping to make a good first impression, and in the case of the Sun, wanting to end their final chapter on a positive note.

The WNBA off-season has been fascinating. Everyone's had to juggle a million things at once. Everything’s been moving at top speed with no signs of slowing down. And as we prepare for a historic 30th season, we’ll all have to adjust to the new landscape in the WNBA.

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in the women’s basketball community.

Here’s what we’re reading:

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