The Chicago Sky finished the regular season with yet another loss. Playing without Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins, the Sky suffered a 91-86 loss to the New York Liberty and officially finished the season tied for the worst record in the league.
The game did little to distract Sky fans or the front office and players from the humongous list of problems the team will carry into the offseason. It did quite the opposite, actually. With just about three minutes left in the third quarter, chants calling for Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca to be fired filled the arena. Fans’ frustration with the way the organization has been run recently is only one of the many issues the Sky have to deal with. After all, fans aren’t the only people who think that the Sky need to do a better job as an organization.
The Sky enter an offseason full of uncertainty and pressure to fix past mistakes. Earlier this season, players participating in The Athletic’s player poll voted the Chicago Sky as the worst-run organization in the league. The Sky did little to prove them wrong this season with failed attempts to build a contender, moves that quickly backfired, and yet another star unsure of her future with the team.
Angel Reese’s future with the Sky is uncertain
Angel Reese made it very clear that she wants to play for a winning team and that she didn’t think the Sky made the right moves this offseason. She also called for the front office to rectify those mistakes this offseason and improve the roster.
Reese was suspended for her comments for the first half of the Sky’s September 7 matchup with the Aces and hasn’t suited up since, sitting out with a back injury. She may very well have already played her last game in a Sky uniform.
If Reese demands a trade, she wouldn’t be the first star to force her way out of Chicago. There is a reason the Sky have the reputation they have. Sylvia Fowles sat out the first half of the 2015 season, waiting for a trade to get her out of Chicago. Candace Parker and Kahleah Copper left the Sky right after winning a championship. Gabby Williams was suspended for the 2021 season for competing with the French national team and made it very clear after that she would never return to the Sky after the way they treated her when Reese tried to recruit her.
Not many stars will want to play in Chicago if they continue to view it as one of the “worst” organizations
The WNBA is changing rapidly and so are the standards players expect organizations to provide. Several teams, like New York, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, and Golden State, already have dedicated practice facilities and provide other “luxuries” that should be standard in professional sports for their players.
The Sky, like many other WNBA organizations, have a lot of work to do to catch up. They announced plans to build a new and much-needed practice facility in 2024 that was originally supposed to be done by December 2025. The new goal is to have the facility open just in time for the 2026 season (if there is no delay due to the CBA negotiations).
A practice facility is a good start, but the Sky will have to do more to change the way players see the franchise. Until then, it will be difficult for the team to attract big-time free agents, especially if they lose Reese in the offseason or players suspect that she will be gone as soon as her rookie contract is up.