After an injury-ridden 2024 season, the Chicago Sky have several players hitting free agency: Isabelle Harrison, Brianna Turner, Diamond DeShields, Chennedy Carter, Michaela Onyenwere, Dana Evans, and Nikolina Milić. Out of that group, Chennedy Carter is unquestionably the biggest name. She was the Sky’s leading scorer last season, averaging 17.5 points over 33 games and seemingly reviving her WNBA career, and is currently displaying the full extent of her offensive abilities in China.
Nevertheless, the Chicago Sky did not make her a qualifying offer along with Dana Evans, Michaela Onyenwere, and Nikolina Milić. However, this does not necessarily mean that Evans, Onyenwere, and Milić will all re-sign with the Sky or that Carter is definitely not returning. The first three can start receiving offers from other teams around the league on January 21, and if the Sky do not match certain offers, they are free to sign elsewhere.
As for Carter, the Sky still have until January 20 to make her an offer, but the fact that she did not receive one with the other restricted free agents has the rumor mills working overtime. Are the Sky truly ready to part ways with Carter ahead of the 2025 season?
The Sky are in desperate need of offense. They finished the 2024 season with the second-worst offensive rating in the league, ahead of only the Atlanta Dream. The Sky also only saw two players average double-digit scoring if you do not count Marina Mabrey, who was traded to the Connecticut Sun during the season, and Elizabeth Williams who only played 10 games.
Not re-signing their best scorer seems like an odd way to deal with that problem, even if there are some concerns with Carter’s fit around the Sky’s recent first-round picks.
As of now, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso are both not 3-point threats. Adding a third player who does not shoot threes and starting three non-shooters comes with serious spacing issues. Still, replacing someone who can put up between 15 and 20 every game is not easy, especially when your team is not one of the top destinations in free agency. The Sky technically have the means to make a big splash on the trade market, but the question is whether now is the right time to do that or if it would be smarter to continue drafting and developing young talent.
Recent reporting supports rumors that Sky may not want to re-sign Carter
Despite Carter’s offensive talent, the writing seems to be on the wall. If the Sky really wanted to bring Carter back for the 2025 season, why would they hesitate to make her an offer? Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times gave some potential answers to what is going on in Chicago at the moment.
“Opting not to make the offer confirms the Sky’s reservations regarding Carter’s impact on the team’s culture on and off the court,” Costabile wrote.
Costabile also mentioned players’ comments about locker room issues that could have referred to Carter and Jeff Pagliocca’s potential concern that other teams would not have much interest in pursuing Carter via a sign-and-trade.
The fact that the Sky did not extend a qualifying offer to Carter, combined with Costabile’s reporting, suggests that the Sky are ready to let Carter explore free agency rather than making her return to Chicago a priority. If that is indeed the case, any team in need of an offensive punch should keep an eye on Carter and the situation in Chicago.