The new year is right around the corner, and with it, a lot of things to watch for Chicago Sky fans. Angel Reese will play for Unrivaled in the league’s inaugural season, WNBA free agency could see some big names on the move, and there will be a new team to compete with as the Golden State Valkyries are gearing up for their first season in the league.
2024 was a big year for the Sky. They landed two talented bigs in the draft and saw Angel Reese make history over and over again. Nevertheless, the season did not end with a playoff appearance, and the Sky have plenty of work to do this offseason. They should also hope that some decisions they made in 2024 do not come back to haunt them in the new year.
2. Firing Teresa Weatherspoon
When the Chicago Sky fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, the move was met with some general surprise. The Sky’s 2024 season had been plagued by injuries, but Weatherspoon still managed to build strong connections with several players. She is one of the reasons Chennedy Carter was able to have a career year and had a close relationship with Angel Reese.
Reese, who quickly established herself as the current face of the franchise, took to social media after the firing, saying that she was heartbroken to see her head coach depart. It seemed the Sky were set up for some drama with their star player. No team has to cater to its star players’ wishes, but it certainly helps to keep them happy.
The Sky hired former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh to take over, and Reese seems to approve of the choice so far. Reese is not the player the Sky should be worried about most, though.
Chennedy Carter is. Carter was the Sky’s leading scorer in the 2024 season and the team’s primary offense on the perimeter. Now, she is a restricted free agent and might not want to return to Chicago without Weatherspoon there. Plus, Marsh has been incredibly vague on Carter’s future with the team setting a stark contrast to Stephanie White, who already announced that she would love for the Indiana Fever to re-sign Kelsey Mitchell.
Losing Carter would be a tough blow for the Sky. Her production would be difficult to replace, and not re-signing her might send the message to other free agents that the Sky are not serious about winning quite yet. Carter is also playing well in China this WNBA offseason and might draw some interest from other teams in free agency.
1. The trade with the Minnesota Lynx
The Chicago Sky had two first-round picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft. They used the third overall pick on Kamilla Cardoso and then decided to trade the eighth overall pick, Sika Koné, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 first-round pick swap to the Minnesota Lynx for Nikolina Milic and the seventh pick in the draft, which meant a chance to draft Angel Reese.
Individually, Reese has not disappointed. She has put together a historic rookie season and will only continue to improve from now on. It did not translate to team success quite yet and might not for another few seasons. Technically, the Sky are not under any pressure to compete right now. After all, they just started their rebuild.
But there is that pick swap to consider. The Sky might miss the playoffs again in the 2025 season, especially if Carter does not return, land a high lottery pick, and lose it to the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx just went to the WNBA Finals, and the Sky do not want to help them get even better.
On the bright side, the Sky also own the Phoenix Mercury’s 2026 first-round pick from the Kahleah Copper trade and the right to swap first-round picks with the Connecticut Sun since they traded Marina Mabrey during the season. That increases the Sky’s chances to land a great player in the draft, but it would still hurt to lose a lottery pick to the Lynx.