She's (nearly) back.
The Chicago Sky are expected to sign guard Courtney Vandersloot, according to a Wednesday article from Chicago Sun-Times Sky reporter Annie Costabile. She could be the Sky's first addition in what could be a a pivotal offseason for the Windy City squad.
Vandersloot, a Sky legend through and through, played an integral role in guiding Chicago to its first WNBA championship. She became the franchise's all-time leader in assists, steals and minutes played in her 12 seasons with Chicago. She saw the Sky change through three head coaches, eight trips to the playoffs and two appearances against the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals. The former Gonzaga standout signed with the New York Liberty in 2023, where she became one of the final pieces of a star-studded squad that won the WNBA championship in 2024.
Vandersloot will become the seventh player under contract for Chicago. It extended qualifying offers to three players earlier this month, including guard Dana Evans. Vandersloot will join guards Moriah Jefferson, Rachel Banham and Lindsay Allen. Players can sign contracts with squads starting Feb. 1.
Not having to go all-in for the Chicago legend means the Sky still have the ability to add their guards of the future in this April's draft and have a better position to sign higher-profile free agents in 2026, which could be a league-changing year under a potential new collective bargaining agreement and plenty of bigger-name unrestricted free agents. They also add the passing talent and leadership needed to guide the Sky in the right direction and pair well with their budding bigs in Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
The move is one of many in a chaotic free agency period that saw a few of the league's bigger names hands over the course of a few days. Two of the league's most notable bigs moved to new teams in the span of a few hours. Forward Alyssa Thomas was traded to the Phoenix Mercury a little before center Brittney Griner announced she would sign with the Atlanta Dream. Guards Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Mitchell found new homes in a 3-team trade on Monday.