With the WNBA's time to extend qualifying offers and core designations coming to a close, the Chicago Sky will have plenty of work to do to fill out their roster before the start of the 2025 WNBA season.
Chicago has six players under contract and a few more listed as restricted free agents, leaving a few more spots they'll need to fill before the start of this year's regular season. The Sky extended qualifying offers to forward Michaela Onyenwere, guard Dana Evans and forward Nikolina Milić earlier this month. They will enter this year's contract negotiation period with the 3rd-most cap space in the league at just above $920,000.
The Sky can swing for the fences with potential scoring options to lift their offense, or they can focus on retaining their talent and adding supplementary players while continuing to build through the draft in May. Chicago signed a handful of veterans and added a few via trade before acquiring their bigs of the future in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Sky will have the chance to bolster their backcourt with the No. 3 and No. 10 picks in this year's draft.
Chicago Sky free agents
Unrestricted
Guards: Diamond DeShields, Chennedy Carter
DeShields, a former first-round draft pick for the Sky, returned to Chicago on a 1-year contract last February. The 6-foot-1 guard and former Sky champion played with the Phoenix Mercury for one season after spending four years in Chicago. She suited up in 32 games and started in 10 for the Sky last season. The former All-Star guard averaged 4.5 points on a 34.8% clip from the field.
Carter, who was a restricted free agent heading into the new year, will become an unrestricted free agent after the Sky chose not to extend the 26-year-old guard a qualifying offer, according to Chicago Sun-Times Sky reporter Annie Costabile. She led the Sky with 17.5 points per game last season.
Forwards: Isabelle Harrison, Brianna Turner
Harrison would sign with the Sky in 2023 after spending the last few seasons with the Dallas Wings. The 6-foot-3 forward averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in her 36 games played for Chicago last season. She logged five starts for the Sky towards the end of the regular season, including in her final two games of the season, which ended in double-doubles. Harrison shot at an inefficient 39.9% from the floor last year, a career-low for the former Tennessee forward.
Turner was included in the trade that would send guard Kahleah Copper to the Mercury last February. She would play in 27 games and start in two for the Sky last season. The two-time All-Defensive Team selection earned a season-high nine rebounds in a September loss to the Atlanta Dream.
Restricted
Guards: Dana Evans
Evans played in 39 games and started in 12 for the Sky in 2024. The former Sixth Player of the Year candidate averaged 7.2 points and 2.4 assists per game for Chicago last season. She was named the team's starting point guard for the first 12 games of the Sky's 2024 campaign. Should she return to Chicago, she will enter her fifth season with the Sky.
Forwards: Michaela Onyenwere
Onyenwere joined Turner in the Copper trade. The former Rookie of the Year averaged 6.6 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 34 games played and 18 starts last season. She proved to be a reliable newcomer as her scoring averages increased to 10.4 points per game in the month of September. The 6-foot forward may be a needed signing as the Sky look to fill out the small forward position before the start of the 2025 season.
Reserved
Forwards: Nikolina Milić
Milić spent two seasons with the Minnesota Lynx before being included in a deal that allowed the Sky to trade up for the pick that eventually became forward Angel Reese. Chicago sent forward Sika Koné, the No. 8 pick, a 2025 second-rounder and a 2026 first-round pick swap to the Lynx in exchange for the No. 7 selection and Milić. The 6-foot-3 forward played in 70 games and started in seven for Minnesota after she signed with the squad in 2022.
Sky Players Under Contract
Guards: Moriah Jefferson, Lindsay Allen, Rachel Banham
The Sky have three guard options under contract heading into this year's contract negotiations period. Banham, a newer addition from the Connecticut Sun, hit just above 38% of her 3-point shots in her 16 games played with the Sky. Her and Allen proved to be unsung heroes at the guard spot for Chicago last season. Jefferson, a veteran guard for a number of different WNBA squads, played in 14 games with Chicago after being sent over from the Sun with Banham in a July trade.
Forwards: Angel Reese
Reese, who earned an All-Star selection in her rookie year, will be an important building block for the future in Chicago.
She ended last season with averages of 13.6 points and a WNBA-leading 13.1 rebounds per game. The 22-year-old forward has starred outside of her stint with the Sky with a spot on the cover of Vogue, an extension with Reebok and in the inaugural season of Unrivaled. It will be up to the Sky to find complimentary guards who can further empower Reese in the post and continue her growth in the Windy City.
Centers: Elizabeth Williams, Kamilla Cardoso
Chicago have a solid big tandem under contract in sophomore center Kamilla Cardoso and veteran big Elizabeth Williams.
Williams, a leader off the court and an on-court stalwart on the defensive end, played in nine games for the Sky and averaged 10 points and seven rebounds per contest before missing the remainder of the season with a torn meniscus. Cardoso earned a spot on the league's All-Rookie team after becoming a consistent starter for the Sky. She has blossomed into a star in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association, where she leads the Shanghai Swordfish in points per game with 21.5.
What are the Sky's Biggest Needs?
Scoring and Shooting
The Sky finished near or at the bottom of the league in points per game, 3-point makes and attempts, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. They finished their last 15 games with an offensive rating of 96. Chicago will have a few decent shooters on its roster heading into this year's contract negotiation period, but will lack lead scoring options, especially if Carter signs with another squad.
Passing
Chicago finished last season at 11th place in the WNBA with 19 assists per game. It would be the Sky's lowest since 2016, when Chicago made it to the league's semifinals in their final season with head coach Pokey Chatman. Aside from guard Marina Mabrey, no one on the Sky averaged more than four assists per game. Chicago can try to address its passing and playmaking issues by rolling the dice in the 2025 WNBA Draft, but would benefit from seeking out talented passing guards in free agency.
News From Around the League
Cored Players
Guards: Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever)
Forwards: Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm)
News to keep an eye on
Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd requested a trade last month. The Lincolnwood native has one year left on the multi-year contract she signed with the Storm in 2023. She will have a cap hit of just under $250,000 in 2025, according to Spotrac.