While the Chicago Sky gave up their lottery pick in a trade to get Ariel Atkins from the Washington Mystics, they still ended up with two first-round picks. The tenth overall pick was acquired from the Connecticut Sun and the eleventh from the Minnesota Lynx.
Chicago used the picks to select Slovenian forward Ajsa Sivka and TCU guard Hailey Van Lith. Sivak spent this season playing in France, averaging 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over 21 games with Tarbes in the French league. She is only nineteen years old but has been playing professionally since the 2022-23 season.
Fans in the U.S. are likely much more familiar with Hailey Van Lith, however. So is Sky star Angel Reese and she has unfinished business with Van Lith.
Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith still need to win a championship together
Hailey Van Lith started her college career at Louisville but then transferred to LSU ahead of the 2023-24 season. There, she teamed up with Angel Reese and helped LSU get to the Elite Eight. The team failed to repeat as national champions, however.
That loss seems to still be on Reese’s mind, as she welcomed her former college teammate to the Sky with an encouraging message.
“We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it backkkkk,” Reese wrote on X.
Reese’s plans for the Sky are clear: She wants to win a championship, preferably with Van Lith on the roster as well. The Sky may not compete for a championship this season—they just do not seem to be on the same level as the Liberty, Lynx, Aces, and Fever—but they managed to build a much-improved team around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
The Sky added Courtney Vandersloot, an experienced point guard to run the offense, traded for Ariel Atkins, who can provide firepower on the wing, and added veterans Rebecca Allen and Kia Nurse. Those additions, combined with Reese’s and Cardoso’s improvements, could transform the Sky into a playoff team. The ultimate goal would be to attract plenty of high-level free agents in the 2026 offseason and build a contender that way.
The Sky still have plenty of work to do until Reese gets her wish, but it is always great when a team’s star player is excited about a new rookie. Plus, the Sky really needed a young guard to develop alongside their frontcourt of Reese and Cardoso.