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For any sports fan, it is hard to think about the franchise player of the team that you live and die to support being traded away, and the trade drastically shifting the culture and identity that was built around the star player. For New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, she put herself in those shoes for a brief moment during a recent interview
What Did Sabrina Ionescu Say About The Dončić Trade?
For the last five years, Sabrina Ionescu has been the face of the New York Liberty basketball team, leading the team (one of the WNBA’s original eight franchises) to its first WNBA championship, defeating the Minnesota Lynx 3-2 in a best-of-five series last season.
Ionescu displayed her long-range shooting ability, making what is probably the biggest shot of her career, a 28-foot step-back three-pointer with one second left in Game 3 of the Finals, which secured the 80-77 win for New York.
To go along with a WNBA ring, Sabrina has some standout accomplishments attached to her name. She became the fastest player in WNBA history to record a triple-double in six games in 2021, the first player in WNBA history to record 500+ points, 200+ rebounds, and 200+ assists, and she has also become the fastest player drafted by the New York Liberty to score 1,000 points.
All of this on top of being a three-time WNBA All-Star and even getting a chance to add a gold medal with the USA Basketball team after winning the 2024 Paris Olympics. She’s a player who leads by example, scores at a high volume, and is never scared of big moments.
During the recent interview, Ionescu was asked what would be the WNBA equivalent to the blockbuster Luka Dončić trade, which happened earlier this year, sending All-Star and NBA Champion Center Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick from the Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dončić, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.
The entire sports world was shaken with disbelief, with many people astonished that the Mavericks and General Manager Nico Harrison, who subsequently became public enemy number one in Dallas, would agree to such terms, especially given the caliber of player that Dončić is and the injury history and health risks that Anthony Davis presents.
Many people speculated a number of reasons for what was being viewed as a lopsided trade from LeBron and A.D. not seeing eye to eye, to the Mavericks being angered with Luka Dončić’s sudden weight gain and reported heavy drinking, not being able to stay in top playing shape even after conversations with Dallas management.
With Mavericks fans feeling betrayed, many took to Twitter and social media to burn their jerseys and engage in emotionally charged rants about Harrison and the organization making such a bizarre move. There was some light at the end of the tunnel; however, Dallas received the first overall pick in the 2025 draft, which they used to take Duke basketball phenom Cooper Flagg.
Within the past decade, the WNBA and women’s professional basketball have experienced significant growth in popularity, with talented players such as Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and, of course, Ionescu.
The women’s side of professional basketball is finally being appreciated in the sports space, after a history of low attendance rates and little public interest, mainly due to the league not being viewed as exciting or physical enough like the NBA. That narrative has changed in recent years, with teams like the Las Vegas Aces building what many consider a WNBA dynasty, having won three out of the last four championships.
Ionescu gave her thoughts on the question, in a clip that has resurfaced from a past interview saying, “It would have to be maybe me getting traded out of New York… I don’t know. I can’t really put that into words because it’s like no one is safe. That’s kind of scary. I hope I never get traded. But it would probably have to be me for someone.”
One can imagine how devastating the news of Ionescu leaving the Empire State would be to the Liberty fan base. With her averaging 18.2 points per game and 4.9 rebounds, many opposing teams and franchises in the W would be salivating to have a player with those kinds of numbers on the court, one who can positively affect the game. Although no one, in fact, is safe from a potential move, at the end of the day, trades are a part of the business.
