The New York Liberty are facing a major roster crunch heading into the 2026 WNBA season opener against the Connecticut Sun on Friday night. The team released its first injury report, and it's a tough one for the defending Eastern Conference contenders.

New York will be without at least five players for the season tip-off. Star guard Sabrina Ionescu is sidelined with a left foot injury, while newly acquired forward Satou Sabally is out due to a cyst. Rebecca Allen (left leg) is also ruled out with an injury. Additionally, Raquel Carrera and Leonie Fiebich are unavailable due to international commitments.

The most significant absence is Ionescu, who rolled her ankle in the Liberty's final preseason game on May 3—coincidentally also against the Sun. While further testing confirmed she avoided a major injury, the Liberty guard is expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season and will be re-evaluated. Her playmaking and scoring will be sorely missed as the team looks to build chemistry early.

Sabally's situation adds another layer of intrigue. The veteran forward, who signed a two-year, $1.67 million deal with New York in free agency after spending the 2025 season with the Phoenix Mercury, has yet to make her Liberty debut. She missed the entire preseason due to illness, and now a cyst has ruled her out for Friday. No further details have been released on whether she'll be ready for the team's second game on May 10 against the Washington Mystics.

For Liberty fans, this is a tough start to what promised to be an exciting season. With Ionescu and Sabally both out, the team will need depth players to step up against a Connecticut Sun squad that is always tough. The Liberty's bench will be tested early, and how they respond could set the tone for the first weeks of the campaign.