We have a new CBA—well, almost. It still needs to be ratified and signed, but the WNBPA and the league made a verbal agreement. Players will finally get revenue shares and the league will have its first million-dollar player.
The supermax salary will start at $1.4 million in 2026. That’s 20% of the starting salary cap of $7 million, which will make it difficult for some teams to keep all of their stars around. Teams like the Aces, Mercury, and Liberty will quickly get very expensive. So, stars will have to take pay cuts to guarantee that their teams stay competitive or seek big deals somewhere else.
That could work in the Sky’s favor. Unlike the top teams in the league, they don’t have anyone they need to pay a supermax right now. Ariel Atkins made close to the max salary last season and will earn a pay raise, but the Sky don’t need to pay her that much. With ample cap space available and huge gaps to fill, the Sky could lure away a star or two and finally build a competitive team around Angel Reese.
Chicago has to make up for a lot of mistakes
Angel Reese wants to play for a competitive team that doesn’t miss the playoffs with one of the worst records in the league. The Sky failed to give her that last year. They tried by signing Courtney Vandersloot, Kia Nurse, and Rebecca Allen and trading for Ariel Atkins. It didn’t work and left the Sky with a ton of free agents and a mostly blank slate around Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
A historic free agency period that may not see stars, like A’ja Wilson or Breanna Stewart, move teams, but still promises a lot of chaos, is the perfect opportunity for the Sky to build a better roster.
Between Reese, Cardoso, another incoming lottery pick, and Ariel Atkins (if she wants to re-sign with the team), a few big wins in free agency could quickly change the team’s trajectory.
The Sky will have to clear a massive hurdle, though. They have a terrible reputation with players across the league. All-Stars like Gabby Williams and Courtney Williams have openly spoken about the less-than-ideal player experience with the Sky. Suspending Reese for half a game when she criticized the team’s roster construction last season also wasn’t a great look. Neither was firing Theresa Weatherspoon after just one season, especially considering the way the organization handled it.
The franchise is working to change its reputation. A new practice facility with two full-sized courts, weight rooms, and recovery rooms, among other amenities, is set to open in late spring this year.