2025 Chicago Sky WNBA Draft Preview
Who the Sky could take, how they'll fit with the current roster + could Chicago make trades ahead of draft day?
With just days to go until the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Sky’s front office—led by GM Jeff Pagliocca and new head coach Tyler Marsh—are approaching the final part of their offseason work. After a steady free agency period saw Chicago address some of the team’s needs, the aggressive approach to packaging draft capital that Pagliocca has taken since inheriting the job from interim GM Emre Vatansever in 2023 continued with the addition of SG Ariel Atkins in a trade that saw the #3 pick in next week’s draft move to Washington. As a result, Chicago enters draft night with just one first round pick (#10, acquired in the deal that sent Marina Mabrey to the Sun) and a pair of second rounders (#16 and 22 overall) that, as things stand, seemingly have little chance to make the team’s opening day roster. Let’s dive into the variables Chicago will consider ahead of draft night—starting with a look at the current roster.
State of the Roster
First things first, it’s important to understand how the Sky’s 10th overall pick could fit with the current roster. As a reminder, here are the players under contract—with unprotected contracts in italics:
Guards: Ariel Atkins, Courtney Vandersloot, Moriah Jefferson, Kia Nurse, Rachel Banham, Arella Guirantes, Alex Wilson
Wings: Rebecca Allen, Michaela Onyenwere
Bigs: Elizabeth Williams, Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese, Morgan Bertsch
As it stands, 10 of the names above seem like sure things to make the 12 player opening day roster. Of the 13 listed above, only Guirantes, Wilson and Bertsch should have serious questions about their chances of making the team, and Bertsch would feel a near lock to make the roster if the Sky do not select a forward with the #10 overall pick (more on the forward options later). Bertsch would provide the Sky with much needed depth in case any of Williams, Cardoso or Reese would miss time while the #10 pick (in this scenario, a guard) would likely box Guirantes and Wilson out of position for the final roster spot.
Alternatively, if the Sky do select a forward at #10, Bertsch would be left with a largely uphill climb to make the roster while the door would be left open for the veteran duo of Guirantes (27) and Wilson (31) to compete for the final roster spot in the backcourt. In any case, expect the 10th pick to have an inside track to being the 11th player on the roster—with Chicago’s three training camp invitees, two second round picks or even cuts from other teams (New York, for instance, carries ~15 capable WNBA players into camp) competing for the twelfth and final spot on the 2025 opening day roster.
The Draft’s Biggest Questions
1. Will a top point guard make it to #10?
WNBA mock drafts tend to be quite variable, but as draft day creeps closer, the odds of the Sky getting their point guard of the future all the way at #10 seem to be dwindling. Before the Atkins trade (and the slight decline in Kiki Iriafen of USC’s draft stock), Chicago likely felt in pole position to make Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles the successor to Courtney Vandersloot, but the strong play of the Fighting Irish guard had seen her surge up draft boards and—in some respect—probably played a role in Chicago deciding to part with the third pick given the low probability that she’d still be available there (even before she ultimately returned to school).
Thus, the Sky are left chasing a trio of veteran point guards who have oscillated up and down mock drafts for the last 12 (or even 24) months: Shyanne Sellers of Maryland, Te-Hina Paopao of South Carolina, and Georgia Amoore of Kentucky. I dove into what each could offer specifically last month; so, I won’t retread over old ground. What I will say is this: if any of the three makes it to #10, it would be a shock to see Jeff Pagliocca pass on the opportunity to take them. Each comes with a few concerns about their game, but all three have enough WNBA-ready skills to suggest they could at least be a reserve point guard long-term. The opportunity to add a potential starter at the position that is arguably the most important for activating the skills of Reese and Cardoso in the post AND give that young player a chance to work with a vet of Vandersloot’s caliber for a season would be one that’s very difficult to pass up.
Yet, there’s every chance that other teams in front of the Sky see similar potential—especially with Sellers and Amoore—and jump at the chance to add a capable young point guard on a multi-year contract ahead of the mass free agency that will hit the league at the end of the 2025 season. Thus, draft night becomes a waiting game for the Sky—with Pagliocca, Marsh and the rest of the front office left to watch and see whether the surge these guards have seen in mock drafts is a reality or if one (or multiple) could still fall into their lap at #10.
2. If not, does position matter?
The short answer should be no. As far down as #10, the primary goal should be to choose a player you believe can (1) make the roster and (2) become a usable player long-term. Whether that player is stuck in the logjam behind Cardoso and Williams at center or has a more clear path to 2026 minutes at a spot like point guard shouldn’t be the determining factor on who gets chosen. Based on the roster’s current make-up, many will likely call for this pick to be used on a power forward to support Angel Reese, but Marsh should be able to get by just fine with a combination of Onyenwere, Allen and Williams at the four in the brief periods of the game where Reese sits.
That being said, don’t be surprised if the Sky do go for a power forward at this spot if the top point guards are all gone as many of the most intriguing names that most expect to be left on the board play the position. Notre Dame’s Maddy Westbeld is a more modern stretch four (35% 3PT in college) who could provide an interesting change of pace alongside Cardoso or even Reese (in small line-ups) while UCLA’s Janiah Barker is more of a powerhouse forward who still offers enough versatility and athleticism to slot into line-ups with either (or both) of the Sky’s standout front court players.
Of course, at the back end of the first round, there’s also plenty of opportunities to take chances on international players. While the Sky’s current roster position means they may be more likely to covet a player who can give them minutes right now, it’s also possible to grab an international player who Chicago wouldn’t even plan to have on the roster until 2026. If they go that route, expect Ajša Sivka to be amongst the most commonly mentioned names. The 6’3” Slovenian has been impressive at various levels including MVP honors at U-18 EuroBasket in 2023 and strong numbers (11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals per game on 44% FG and 42% 3PT) in 8 EuroCup games this season. The variable draft stock that most European players face in the WNBA draft means Sivka could conceivably be off the board several picks before Chicago selects or last beyond #10 and into the second round. In any case, she—similar to Westbeld—would be an interesting change of pace to Reese at the 4 long-term if not an out-and-out small forward in the W thanks to her slight frame and comfort at the perimeter.
3. More trades?
At this point, trades feel unlikely simply because Chicago is running out of future assets to transact with. Their 2026 pick is owed to the Lynx in a swap (from last April’s deal for the Angel Reese pick) and their 2027 pick is owed to the Mystics as the second piece of the Atkins trade. The one high-value asset left in the Sky’s war chest is a 2026 pick swap with Connecticut that, given the state of the Sun’s roster, is currently worth its weight in gold and unlikely to be moved as a result.
With very little first round draft capital left to move, the Sky’s lone avenue to jump up the draft order before next Monday would be moving players on the current roster (unlikely as only Reese and Cardoso have multi-year deals) or second round picks from either of the 2025 or 2026 drafts. And while the Sky have accumulated some solid second-round draft capital, the fact of the matter is that there’s no indications those picks have much value in the W just yet. If the player the Sky want is available at #9 and Los Angeles has no interest in that player anyways, it’s possible a slew of second rounders could be enough to jump up one spot, but the cost Chicago paid (a future swap + Sika Koné) to make a similar move from 8 to 7 last year suggests moving any further up the order with second rounders alone is highly unlikely. In the end, that’s the opportunity cost of the moves Pagliocca has made so far in his tenure. By adding the pick that became Reese last April and Atkins earlier this year, Chicago has improved its roster but also limited its flexibility to move around in future drafts if the right player becomes available.