In a season that the Chicago Sky were expected to compete for a playoff berth, the franchise has begun the year with no wins in its first three matchups. Despite a competitive first half in Los Angeles, the Sky imploded in the third quarter, being outscored 33-25, which inevitably led to the Sparks chalking up a convincing 91-78 victory.
Media and supporters of the 'Windy City' franchise would not be incorrect if they highlighted Chicago's lack of efficiency as one of the leading issues this year. There have been clear indicators that the new offensive identity implemented by rookie head coach Tyler Marsh could be a flawed system. The Sky have struggled from deep at the start of the 2025 campaign, even though Marsh has prioritized high-volume 3-point shooting, scoring just 21 of their 74 attempts from that range.
A lot of the responsibility will lie with the head coach and his struggling roster that continues to exhibit substandard performances. However, the Chicago front office should be shouldering a large percentage of the criticism for the hot mess that they have created due to their inept decision-making.
The Sky's future appears to be a barren wasteland
The Sky had an opportunity to lay down exciting foundations in the 2025 WNBA Draft by utilizing their third-overall selection to snatch Notre Dame's dynamic guard, Sonia Citron, from under the noses of their rivals. Nevertheless, the Chicago front office opted for experience and traded this pick away in exchange for former Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins—A move that has appeared to backfire as Marsh has struggled to give the 28-year-old a significant role on offense, as she averages around seven field goal attempts per game.
In comparison, Citron is thriving at the Mystics as they begin to build an exhilarating young core of players with a vision of competing in the postseason for the foreseeable future. The 21-year-old guard is scoring an impressive 15.8 points per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor. Whereas the Sky currently relies on the 36-year-old Courtney Vandersloot and her legendary playmaking ability to dictate offensive proceedings for the team.
The Vandersloot acquisition was a pickup that the Chicago fanbase could celebrate due to nostalgia, but it was another signing that provided no insight into the future of the franchise. After reportedly signing a one-year contract, the veteran guard has shown no indication of her intentions beyond the 2025 campaign, leaving the front office with another issue come the end of the year.
Unfortunately, the Sky have no other option but to muster up an effective plan to turn around their 2025 fortunes and make a push for a place in the playoffs, as the Minnesota Lynx will be the only beneficiaries of a poor regular season finish. Chicago sent the rights to swap 2026 picks with the Lynx after they made a trade to obtain the seventh overall pick in 2024 to select Angel Reese. However, after the Sky received another 2025 first-round selection, Minnesota will have sole ownership of the 2026 pick.
After creating a seemingly never-ending vortex that viciously spits out one distressing issue after another, the Chicago Sky front office will be feeling the heat. They have left themselves with very few options to salvage this franchise from spiralling into the abyss. Without giving up any of their prized young assets, such as Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, or Hailey Van Lith, there are not many other players that would provide them with an opportunity to reclaim future draft picks and enable the side to hit the reset button.