Chicago Sky Free Agency Preview

With Kah signed to a long-term extension, it’s time for the new front office to build a team around the 2021 Finals MVP.

After a technically short (but seemingly long) quiet period, the WNBA will return en force with the start of free agency on February 1st. Teams can begin negotiating with players as soon as January 21st, and you can expect to hear news about players signing sooner due to qualifying offers being sent out (and sometimes signed) during the first half of January. Trades can also happen in January — so don’t expect this month to be totally quiet.

Before we get into the key storylines facing the Sky this month, let’s remind ourselves of where the roster currently stands (special hat tip to Her Hoop Stats where I double and triple check my own notes on these contract statuses):

Kahleah Copper, Marina Mabrey, Elizabeth Williams, Isabelle Harrison & Dana Evans— UNDER CONTRACT

As you (hopefully) know by now, Kah’s new extension keeps her (like Mabrey) with the team through 2025. Williams and Harrison are entering the final year of their deals and will be unrestricted free agents next winter.

Dana will be playing on the final year of her rookie deal in 2024. Under the terms of the CBA, Evans and the Sky can negotiate a new deal between the start of free agency on February 1st and the start of the WNBA season in May. If no extension is signed, Evans will be a restricted free agent next winter.

Sika Koné & Li Yueru — UNDER CONTRACT (UNPROTECTED)

Koné is under contract on her rookie-scale deal. Her unprotected salary means the Sky could, in theory, release her with no salary cap punishment. Her contract will have the same structure in 2025.

Yueru, whose WNBA status for 2024 is unknown, may be on a similar deal to Koné, but would be one year further along. This means the Sky would typically have a mid-May deadline to decide on Yueru’s 2025 option. If they accept, her contract would be protected for 2025. If not, she would enter unrestricted free agency next winter.

However, a source with detailed knowledge of the Chinese center’s contractual situation believes that Yueru’s deal may be different from the traditional rookie-scale contract. This situation is one to keep tabs on as free agency unfolds.

Rebekah Gardner, Morgan Bertsch & Robyn Parks — RESERVED

The Sky have exclusive negotiation rights with reserved players— meaning the player could not discuss terms with another team unless released by Chicago.

Ruthy Hebard — RESTRICTED FREE AGENT

Hebard is the Sky’s lone restricted free agent. Like in most other sports, the Sky can negotiate with Hebard directly or allow her to pursue other offers and match any signed contract offers at their discretion. 

Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith & Taylor Soule — UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT

These players are free to negotiate and sign with any team of their choice. By virtue of playing 2023 on a hardship contract after being waived from her rookie contract and clearing waivers, Soule is not subject to the typical rookie scale contract process. (NOTE: The Sky could use their core player designation on any of these players (or, in theory, Hebard) this offseason. Because of the market value of these players, I wouldn’t expect anyone to be cored, but Smith could be given the designation in the event the team makes re-signing her its #1 priority.)

Next, let’s explore the key questions that Jeff Pagliocca, Teresa Weatherspoon and the rest of the Sky’s newly-constructed front office will be faced with as they build the roster for the 2024 season.

1.The Point Guard Position

This is the question and decision that will dictate the course of the entire offseason for the Sky. The primary options in free agency seem to be Courtney — who could well return to Chicago in a starting or reserve role — and former Wings and Mercury point Skylar Diggins-Smith. Dana Evans, of course, will also be on the roster next season barring an unexpected trade. I’m sure you’re familiar with Diggins Smith, the situation that soured her relationship with Phoenix, and the cachet she has in WNBA circles. The momentum around the Sky pursuing her is obvious on social media (and with a few of the key people in the organization), but the financial practicalities of a deal for the six-time All-Star are far more complicated. Assuming Diggins-Smith is pursuing the maximum contract her illustrious resumé has earned her, the Sky would have their hands tied somewhat when it comes to building out the rest of the roster.

Of course, there’s always the chance that Diggins-Smith (and/or other players the Sky want to add) could be willing to take a contract below her market value (like Stewie did last offseason) to allow Chicago to construct the strongest roster possible, but neither Skylar nor anyone else is obligated to make such concessions. Even with the financial limitations placed on the team by signing Diggins-Smith, there would still be enough room under the cap to put together a roster that, at the very least, would give the Sky a very, very solid chance of securing a berth in the WNBA playoffs. The question Jeff Pagliocca and T-Spoon need to ask themselves is whether the extra burst of individual quality SDS would give the Sky will compensate for the deficiencies the team would likely need to have in other areas of the roster in the event their hands are tied financially by her contract.

2. The Front Court Mix

How the front office feels about the players under and out of contract at this position may be a secondary priority in the Sky’s overall offseason strategy, but the point guard decision certainly needs to be made with one eye on the impact it will have on these positions. In the event the Sky decide to move forward with the slightly-less expensive Williams (or the even cheaper Evans) as the team’s starting point guard, they’ll have tons of flexibility to strengthen this position with a new signing or the re-signing of Alanna Smith. However, if the plan is to make a move for Diggins-Smith, the Sky would be all but confirming that Isabelle Harrison will be the team’s starting power forward in 2024. And practically speaking, the Sky’s front court direction may already be confirmed. With four of the seven players under contract with Chicago considered as a power forward, center or both, there’s a chance that Jeff Pagliocca will feel his work is done when it comes to recruiting bigs. 

In that case, Elizabeth Williams would start alongside Harrison with Sika Koné acting as the team’s back-up power forward and Li Yueru returning as a reserve five. On the other hand, Koné and Yueru both have unprotected contracts that can be terminated at any time with no cap penalty — meaning the Sky could also drastically restructure in this area as well. One key thing to consider: spacing. Yueru has shown some ability to shoot from the mid-range and from three (3/11 this season) in Turkey, but the four bigs under contract with the Sky have combined to make 5 threes in 481 career WNBA games. In modern basketball, a collection of bigs with such a limited range of shooting is far from ideal. If SDS (or another max player) is not signed, expect the Sky to do everything possible to retain Smith — who averages a three-point make every 32 minutes in the W — for that skill alone. Further complicating the decision making process in this area are Morgan Bertsch and Ruthy Hebard — both of whom are essentially under team control despite being in free agency. Expect Bertsch to be brought back regardless of the roster around her for her versatility and shooting (one 3PM every 24 minutes) ability.

3. The Rotational Make-Up

In the world of WNBA free agency where names like Rebekah Gardner and Robyn Parks can quickly emerge from nowhere to become beneficial pieces of a rotation, it’s hard to say which specific players will be a part of the Sky’s bench next season. However, if we look at a more high level, we can try to pick apart what types of player profile the Sky might need to fill out their bench. I’d say it’s relatively safe to assume that Gardner, Bertsch, Koné and one of Evans or Courtney Williams will make up a large majority of the Sky’s reserve minutes next season, but the other three roster spots are largely up for grabs.

Yueru, of course, could end up a significant part of the rotation if she chooses to play in the W next season (never a given in an Olympic year), but I’d expect the Sky will look to add a big who can offer extra size even if she skips the season. Ruthy Hebard could fill that role, but she (6'4") doesn’t offer quite as much additional size as Yueru or other free agents like Kalani Brown (both 6'7"). Elsewhere, the Sky will likely be looking for a versatile wing/forward who can provide cover for Kahleah Copper while also helping the team in other areas. Gardner — who should return — will definitely help in this area, but the Sky may look to re-sign one of Parks or Soule or add a different name from the free agent market if Spoon plans to use Rebekah more at the guard spots. In the event Parks or Soule returns, expect them to spend time guarding the 2–4 next season. The final roster spot, then, would presumably go to a multi-dimensional player who can help the team in a number of areas or a developmental project (possibly the Sky’s #13 pick in the WNBA draft) that Spoon or Pagliocca wants to nurture long term.

With plenty more to unpack ahead of free agency officially opening on February 1st, I’ll be taking a closer look at these and more questions in the coming weeks:

January 8th: Can the Sky afford to re-sign Alanna Smith?

January 15th: Who should be the Sky’s starting point guard in 2024?

January 22nd: What other free agents could the Sky pursue?