The WNBA is one day into its contract negotiation period. A few notable players stand out as unrestricted free agents, including former Sky forward Elena Delle Donne, center Tina Charles, forward Nneka Ogwumike and center Brittney Griner. Six players, including two members of the All-WNBA First Team, were given core designations.
The Sky have six players under contract with the added potential to bring back three more. Chicago extended qualifying offers to three players, including guard Dana Evans and forward Michaela Onyenwere. The Sky will have a small amount of wiggle room to work with if all three restricted and reserved players return to Chicago and it chooses to keep roster spots open for its two first-round draft picks.
Chicago had plenty to ask following a turbulent few seasons that saw the departure of a variety of its biggest names and its head coach and general manager in James Wade.
With seemingly steadier waters ahead and two high-potential bigs on the roster, can the Sky find a veteran guard to pair with their players at the point? Who can they bring in to add extra depth at both forward spots? Do they focus on adding long-term options to pair with their youthful core, or do they focus on looking for potential stopgap options before a key year for the WNBA?
Is now the right time to accelerate the rebuild?
At first glance, pushing all of Chicago's chips in for an established star may seem like an appealing option.
Chicago is in desperate need of scoring options after guard Chennedy Carter was not extended a qualifying offer. Their 77.4 points per game and their 42.2% from the field in their 2024 campaign were the team's lowest marks in over a decade. It was the first time the Sky fell below the top half of the league in points per game since 2018, when Chicago went 13-21 in its final season under head coach Amber Sparks.
The Sky hold the 3rd-most cap space in the WNBA. Their more than $920,000 in cap space puts them only behind the Connecticut Sun and newly-formed Golden State Valkyries. It may be tempting for the Sky to try to cash in and add lead scorers via free agency or through the draft, especially with the news of one of Chicago's own requesting a trade from the Seattle Storm in December.
Still, it may be best for Chicago to remain patient before what could be a few defining years for the Sky.
The 2026 free agency period could bring about plenty of more opportunities for the Windy City squad thanks to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. With plenty of big names potentially becoming unrestricted free agents in 2026, it may be best to wait one more year for Chicago to further strengthen its young foundation without giving up their No. 3 selection in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
The Sky hold the No. 3 and No. 10 picks in this year's draft, giving them the chance to add two talented young guards to pair well with forward Angel Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso. While they likely won't be able to do it right away, the Notre Dame duo of Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron can both at least answer a few of the Sky's biggest questions. Even if they choose to trade down, Chicago will have a handful of potential gems to look out for in the first round. Either way, the Sky must at least consider looking for short-term options in free agency as they continue to build their young core for the future.