Olivia Miles made the shocking decision to stay out of the 2025 WNBA Draft and enter the transfer portal on Monday. The Notre Dame star helped guide the Fighting Irish to their 4th-straight spot in the Sweet 16 and their second ACC regular-season title in three years. Miles tied with Virginia guard Kymora Johnson at the top of the ACC with 5.8 assists per game.
The Chicago Sky pushed their chips in on winning now when they traded a trio of picks, including the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft, in exchange for Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins last month. Chicago will still have three selections to fall back on in the first two rounds, but it seemed to erase their chances of selecting one of their crown jewels of the future when they gave the Mystics their lottery pick in this year's draft.
The Sky joined the Los Angeles Sparks, who traded the No. 2 pick in exchange for Kelsey Plum, in opting out of taking a top selection and into winning now. The Mystics have seemingly gone in the opposite direction by adding more than one first-rounder in 2025, which can help them build up their foundations for the future should their selections pan out.
The Sky can look like geniuses if they add Olivia Miles in 2026
Chicago may have made the right choice to add experienced talent now and keep building its foundation later.
A few unprecedented moves have shaken up the draft as a whole, including the decision by UConn guard Azzi Fudd to stay with the Huskies for another season. Potential stars like UConn's Paige Bueckers still remain, but players who were once in Chicago's reach are now more likely to be taken by teams with earlier selections. If they're lucky, the Sky can still select their guard or small forwards of the future with their pick before what could be a game-changing draft for them in 2026.
The Sky hold the rights to swap first-rounders with the Connecticut Sun in 2026, meaning they could be in range for Miles should she enter the draft that year. Miles's passing talent can make her an ideal fit for Chicago alongside Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Should she continue to excel at the collegiate ranks and net a higher spot in the 2026 draft, Chicago could end up the biggest winner of Miles's decision after playing the long game.