The Chicago Sky need scoring, especially after deciding not to re-sign Chennedy Carter. They had the second-worst offensive rating in the league last season, averaging only 77.4 points per game. After Marina Mabrey’s and Chennedy Carter’s departures, Reese is now the only consistent double-digit scorer left from the Sky’s 2024 roster.
Conveniently, one of the best scorers in the league requested a trade. Jewell Loyd ranked sixth in scoring in the 2024 season, averaging 19.7 points per game, and made her desire to leave Seattle public in early December. The Sky immediately came up as a potential landing spot for Loyd because of their scoring needs and because they would be able to offer a good trade package, most likely including the third overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Plus, Loyd grew up in the Chicago area, so it would have been a homecoming for her.
Nevertheless, the possibility of Loyd heading to Chicago is off the table, as reported by Annie Costabile.
Sky’s trade talks with Storm have stalled
The talks between the Sky and the Storm have gone cold, as Jewell Loyd would reportedly prefer to go to the Las Vegas Aces, rather than move to Chicago. That decision points to one of the main problems the Sky will encounter all offseason long: Chicago does not seem to be considered a favorable destination for stars at the moment.
One thing the Aces can offer Loyd that Chicago can not is the chance to compete. Despite not making the WNBA Finals in 2024 after losing to the New York Liberty in the semifinals, the Aces have been incredibly successful in recent years and feature several of the top players in the league.
Meanwhile, the Sky’s best players are only entering their second season, and the roster around them is not built to compete quite yet, especially if they cannot pull off a move for a star-level player. Without a trade for Loyd, Kelsey Plum, or Satou Sabally, the Sky really do not have much to offer other than the chance to play with two talented young bigs that could be interesting to high-level veteran free agents. It will be tough for the Sky to attract big names under those conditions.
The Sky reportedly met with Courtney Vandersloot, who would be a really great fit next to Angel Reese, but the veteran will also attract plenty of attention from other teams. Vandersloot also said before the beginning of free agency that she wants to compete. Depending on how serious she is about that and what other teams are interested in her, the Sky might have trouble landing Vandersloot as well.