The Chicago Sky have seen plenty of new faces come and go over the last few seasons.
Though they were able to retain a few of their starters and options off the bench between 2023 and 2024, their new-look roster from last season featured plenty of new players and one returning in guard Diamond DeShields. DeShields, a former top-3 selection for Chicago, made her return to the Sky after she was sent to the Phoenix Mercury in a 2022 trade. Two key options in forward Alanna Smith and guard Courtney Williams signed with the Minnesota Lynx following a 2023 season that saw the Sky push their way into the playoffs for the fifth straight year.
What should the Sky's game plan be following the conclusion of the 2025 WNBA Expansion Draft? Do they continue to try to find new faces to fit alongside their stars of the future? Or do they choose to retain some of their familiar players from last season and build up some much-needed consistency?
The Sky have a handful of free agents they could re-sign, including three unrestricted and three restricted, according to Spotrac. The Golden State Valkyries selected forward María Conde, who Chicago took with its third-round pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, in last Friday's Expansion Draft. The Sky have the third-most cap space in the WNBA following the Expansion Draft while having six players on their active roster. They are only trailed by the Valkyries and the Connecticut Sun. Chicago has a solid mix of guards and bigs under contract, but could use extra depth at the small forward before the beginning of its 2025 campaign.
Keeping some continuity could be key as they look to build their future around two budding stars in forward Angel Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso. The Sky hold the No. 3 and 10 selections in this year's WNBA Draft, giving them the chance to pair two more stars with their blossoming big duo, who new head coach Tyler Marsh called the "cornerstones" of the franchise during his introductory press conference.
Chennedy Carter
Carter turned a February training camp contract into an opportunity to put her scoring proficiency on full display at the WNBA level.
The 26-year-old guard finished last season with an average of 17.5 points per game with a field goal percentage of just under 49% on 14.8 attempts per game. She logged 30 points or more in July wins over the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces, using her speed and shiftiness to work around defenders and score at the basket with ease. Though she wasn't the most consistent shooter from beyond the arc, she found her stride at the basket and off fastbreaks. Carter ranked second in the league in fast break points per contest last season with 3.7, taking spots over Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai
Carrington, Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.
Her stellar scoring didn't stop at the end of the WNBA season.
Carter has dominated in her most recent stint for Wuhan Shengfan of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association, where she is posting averages of 31.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and six assists per game in nine games played. She logged back-to-back 40-point games in late November and in three of her last five games. The pair of Carter and former Kansas State forward Peyton Williams have guided Wuhan to a record of 7-3 and second place in the league's Group B standings.
Carter's scoring will be a much-needed part of a current Sky guard rotation that features Lindsay Allen, Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson. Chicago ended last season with an offensive rating of 97, a figure that narrowly dodged last place in the league and put them on par with the Los Angeles Sparks. Keeping Carter on the roster can boost a roster whose 10.5 fastbreak points per game put them in the middle of the road compared to other WNBA squads last season.
Michaela Onyenwere
Onyenwere, a former Rookie of the Year in 2021, was sent to the Sky in the February trade that sent guard Kahleah Copper to the Phoenix Mercury. The 6-foot forward wanted to be a "sponge" when she joined her new team with then-head coach Teresa Weatherspoon.
"I've known (Weatherspoon) for a few years now, but just to be able to be coached by her, I'm a sponge every single day," Onyenwere said. "I just wanted to take in all that she has, all the insight and all the advice that she's been through, lived and experienced."
The former UCLA forward ended the year with 6.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and one assist per game in 34 games played and 18 starts. She stepped up to the challenge of starting in the final 16 games of the Sky's 2024 campaign. Her 3-point jumper had improved from years past, ending in a 36.8% mark from beyond the arc and an excellent 53.8% on 13 attempts from the right corner. Onyenwere led Chicago with a season-high 20 points in an August loss to the Indiana Fever. The Sky kept pace with the Fever in the first half through Onyenwere's made shots from cuts, turnaround jumpers and open looks on the perimeter.
Onyenwere will be a restricted free agent heading into next February's free agency period. Should the Sky choose to keep her around, she could be a decent option to pair alongside Chicago's returning options as it looks to build up its consistency throughout the season, a point Onyenwere hammered home during her exit interview in September.
"Within a 40-game span, we don't have the margin of error to not be consistent," Onyenwere said. "Everybody's so good. Every single night, everybody's coming to win games. That lack of consistency, at times, definitely hindered us."