The 2026 WNBA season will be dominated by a lot of narratives. There's no way at this point to really know what most of those will be, but there's one emerging: for better or worse, the Chicago Sky will be one of the most interesting teams to watch this year.
Sometimes, one could be forgiven for feeling like a lot of the larger WNBA community picks on the Sky. There were rumors coach Tyler Marsh didn't have control of the locker room last year, plenty of people have blasted GM Jeff Pagliocca, and the team's free agency moves this season have left a lot of people confused — but intrigued. But whether their plans make sense to outsiders seems immaterial to the Sky's leadership, and Marsh and Pagliocca clearly put together a pitch that attracted some of the biggest names in the WNBA.
The team's roster is a shadow of its former self, but it seems like that could be a good thing. News that the Sky chose to waive Hailey Van Lith (who could be picked back up on a developmental contract, or find a role with a new team) rocked the WNBA community Monday, but not nearly as much as other news Sky fans have, uh, weathered so far ahead of the regular season.
The team now includes Jacy Sheldon, DiJonai Carrington, Rickea Jackson, Azuara Stevens, and Skylar Diggins, who were all signed during free agency, as well as Gabriela Jaquez (who was drafted this year) and Natasha Cloud, who was signed Tuesday.
The Sky are causing a little chaos and confusion, but it could work
Right now, it's fair to say that not everything about the Sky makes sense from the outside looking in. The team has three veteran point guards, which might be a good safeguard if someone goes down with an injury — or could be a risk if all three do. There's also a risk that having so many big names on a team will mean they come with big egos, though there's been plenty of training camp chatter from the team that indicates people are hanging out and having fun.
Perhaps part of the fun of following the Sky this season will just be leaning into the unknown, and waiting to see what comes of it. The team didn't have a great 2025 season, which was preceded by a 2024 season that was also tough. It may well be that the only way is truly up — and this could be the team that ends up getting the Sky where they want to be.
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