It’s almost time for the Chicago Sky to return to the clock to improve their squad.
The Sky will enter the first stage of free agency on Saturday – a nine-day window to extend qualifying offers to restricted free agents – which will set the tone for the rest of their offseason roster construction. And with plenty of ceiling space and a pair of first-round picks in his pocketSky general manager Jeff Pagliocca is well-positioned to maneuver in his second free agency window with the franchise.
So who should be at the top of Sky’s free agent wishlist?
The process will be heavily dictated by Sky’s expectations for 2025. It will not be a championship season. The Sky must approach it with specific goals: recruit well, develop talent, make the playoffs and, most importantly, turn Chicago into a free agency destination.
This last step is crucial to accomplish before the next offseason, when a new ABC expected to radically disrupt player movement across the league. And all this means Sky can move with a lot of flexibility right now, including offering one-year contracts to players who want to test a new market before taking advantage of the planned pay rise in 2026.
The Sky ideally need two additions to their frontcourt, both of whom should be comfortable coming off the bench behind Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. That disqualifies them from a few key free agency battles this season, including the race to raid the Connecticut Sun’s frontcourt of Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones.
However, the focus is on the backcourt. The Sky desperately need to create an identity for their guard game under new coach Tyler Marsh. Their inability to consistently move the ball or shoot 3-pointers last season created one of the most stagnant offenses in the league. which ultimately stunted the growth of both recruits. While it’s easy to overestimate the importance of a “true point guard,” the Sky need to improve their primary (and perhaps even secondary) ball handler to look more consistent.
There are a few big-name guards — namely Kelsey Plum, who Marsh coached in Las Vegas — whose decisions will command attention over the next few months. But the Sky could just as well be served by working on the fringes to create consistency on their bench and in the backcourt.
Here are six players Sky are expected to start making presentations to on January 21 before they can officially start signing on February 1.
Chennedy Carter
Sky’s first priority is to negotiate with restricted free agents — and Carter will be at the top of the team’s roster. The guard provided a rare bright spot for the Sky last season, leading the team with 17.5 points per game after earning a starting role, but her future within the organization is still uncertain.
Carter’s offensive fit with the Sky is something of an enigma. She’s clearly a talented shooter, but her heavy emphasis on 2-point shots means she requires a higher usage rate than other comparable guards, while failing to provide the required shot spacing for a team built around its frontcourt.
If Sky wants to work Carter in Chicago, it will require both his willingness and ability to take fewer shots and increase his efficiency, especially behind the arc. Her offseason hasn’t entirely reflected those goals — Carter is averaging an impressive 30.7 points in the Chinese Women’s Basketball Association, but she’s making at least four more shots per game than her WNBA average while not shooting only 25% at 3 points.
It will be a tough decision for Sky, who don’t necessarily want to let the goalkeeper leave after such a successful season – but can’t risk another season of unbalanced offense.
Michaela Onyenwere
Onyenwere, who moved into a starting role late last season, is a simpler restricted free agency option. Onyenwere is a crucial veteran leader in the Sky locker room and has provided lift as a versatile winger capable of shooting from long range. Although technically unsigned, she spent the first few weeks of the offseason competing in tag team events, including introducing Marsh. and the inauguration of the new training center.
Whether Onyenwere is expected to return to Heaven, his role is less clear. If Sky add a few wings in the draft or elsewhere, Onyenwere could return to the bench and anchor the secondary unit with fellow veteran Elizabeth Williams.
Kelsey Mitchell
Mitchell’s biggest free agency challenge will be getting her out of the Indiana Fever. While Mitchell said she is weighing her options heading into 2025, the guard finds herself in a golden situation with a high-caliber coach and a surefire star — Caitlin Clark — in Indiana.
The Sky’s advantages are obvious: Mitchell shot 40.2 percent from 3-point range and averaged a career-high 19.2 points last season, demonstrating his ability to space the court with a strong guard unit and to fuel an elite post around the rim. But they’ll have to go through some pretty tough negotiations to convince Mitchell that she’d be in a better position with Chicago’s young future rather than Indiana.
Natisha Hiedeman
If the Sky are purely looking for facilitation, they should turn their attention north to unrestricted free agent Hiedeman. A six-year veteran, Hiedeman accepted a reserved role on the bench with the Minnesota Lynx last season. The Sky could offer him a starting job with the potential to become a championship contending team.
Beyond her ball movement and strength as a defender, Hiedeman generates the bulk of her offense from behind the arc. She’s a career 37.7% 3-point shooter – although that figure dropped to 28% last season – which could strengthen an area that Sky sorely needs to shore up. Despite her long-range accuracy, Hiedeman is not a high-volume scorer. But if Sky can create an engine for its offense through the frontcourt and other shooting guards, then a pass-first facilitator like Hiedeman would make sense in a transitional season.
Courtney Vandersloot
Are you all ready for a little nostalgia? Vandersloot, a two-time WNBA champion and five-time All-Star, is back on the free agent market and made it clear this week that she is open to options outside of the New York Liberty. Although Vandersloot is past her prime, she remains one of the best passers in the game – and could offer a short-term solution for the Sky backcourt during a year of significant growth for the franchise.
To make this deal, the Sky would need to feel that Vandersloot’s ball facilitation and veteran leadership outweigh his lack of scoring (6.4 points per game with the Liberty last season) and diminished defense. And Vandersloot should be ready to return to Chicago – she played the first 12 seasons of her career with Sky from 2011 to 2022 – in a different role, which could mean a combination of coming off the bench and/or not closing out the matches. .
Sam Whitcomb
If Sky wants to launch a high-volume shooter, Whitcomb could be a perfect option. The Australian guard was one of the most consistent 3-point shooters in the WNBA over her first seven seasons, averaging 37.2 percent shooting on 4.5 attempts during that span.
Whitcomb struggled from 3-point range last season – shooting just 29.2% – as his role fluctuated quickly from starter to DNP from week to week. Given her history, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her return to her previous consistency as a shooter. And as they look to build around youth, the Sky could benefit from another solid veteran presence on the bench.
