The Chicago Sky are only four years removed from the 2021 championship and three years from a trip to the semifinals. Still, a lot has changed since then. Chicago lost Candace Parker and Kahleah Copper, but drafted Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Reese was immediately named an All-Star and broke several rebounding and double-double records as a rookie. It seemed that if the front office could surround the two young bigs with the right veterans, the Sky could avoid a lengthy rebuild and bounce back into the playoffs. So, Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca traded the third overall pick in the 2025 draft to the Mystics for Ariel Atkins and signed several veterans in free agency. The Mystics drafted Sonia Citron, who was named an All-Star in her first season, and the Sky finished at the bottom of the league once again.
The core issue for the Sky is that Angel Reese wants to be competitive, but the front office doesn’t seem quite able to give her that. Chicago isn’t a popular free agency destination for the top players in the league, as it lacks behind other franchises when it comes to facilities and player experience. Securing the fifth pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft doesn’t really offer them a clear solution to that problem.
How will the Sky use their lottery pick?
Chicago owns the final lottery pick, which is widely projected to be Flau’jae Johnson. That pick would make a lot of sense. Johnson is an impactful two-way guard, who could provide much-needed perimeter defense, shot creation, scoring, and 3-point shooting for the Sky. She also won a national championship with Angel Reese when they both played at LSU.
Drafting Johnson—or another high-level guard, depending on how the draft pans out—would definitely make the Sky better and improve their future outlook. Is it enough to transform the Sky into a playoff team, though? Probably not.
There is another option: The Sky opt for a replay of last offseason and trade their lottery pick for a veteran they hope can take the team to the next level. Doing that could significantly improve the roster, but would also sacrifice a bit of the team’s future potential. The Sky also gave Washington a 2027 second-round pick and the right to swap first-round picks that year. But, if Chicago truly wants to be competitive, and isn’t convinced that it can attract more impactful free agents than it did ahead of the 2025 season, trading the lottery pick would be the easiest way to get another star to Chicago. The Sky’s pick won’t attract as much interest as a higher pick would, though. Some teams would certainly be eager to move on from a veteran star for a top three pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. The fifth pick still promises a lot of talent, but not as many choices as a higher pick.
Neither option is perfect.