Quick Three: Chicago Trades Kahleah Copper to Phoenix
The 2021 Finals MVP is shipped off to join Phoenix's impending super team after Chicago's bold plans for free agency fall short.
The news that Kahleah Copper would be traded to the Phoenix Mercury shook the WNBA world on Tuesday morning, but it shouldn’t come as a total surprise given the Sky’s inability to come through on some of the promises they made to Copper when she signed a new contract last fall. The 2021 WNBA Finals MVP who reached the All-Star Game in each of the last three seasons steadily evolved into the game’s premier two-way perimeter player in recent seasons, and the 2023 season—where Copper dragged the Sky to the playoffs against all odds—serves as a fitting final act in her Chicago career. With Copper gone, the Sky now seem fully committed to a rebuild—let’s dive into the how and why of it all.
1.Facilities, Facilities, Facilities
There’s a lot of places to start, but this is the obvious one. Of course Kah really wanted Chicago to sign Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, but she’s also realistic. If Chicago made a solid pitch (and being in Nneka’s final three suggests they did) and those free agents simply chose not to come, there’s only so much blame she can put on those responsible for recruiting. Where she can lay blame, however, is with the franchise’s lack of action towards providing premium facilities for the world-class athletes the team employs to maximize their performance. The lack of action on making that happen is likely what proved fatal. I understand the Sky are working on this and, despite being coy on their progress, they’ve indicated many times that this is an ongoing process. Yet, while there may be progress behind the scenes, there’s nothing tangible for the recruiters in question to showcase for free agents—and that’s a huge issue.
You may remember, a lot was made about new owners—Dwyane Wade most notably—joining and the impact they would have on free agency. However, the salary cap rose less than $50,000 between 2023 and 2024. This isn’t baseball; the impact the ownership’s money was going to have was on putting recruiting chips in place—not throwing money at players. The first and second chips, a franchise player and star head coach, were secured swiftly last fall, but movement on everything else a franchise needs to be successful has been glacial. Granted, it’s been just over six months since it was announced that Wade was joining the ownership group; I’m not expecting him and the others who joined last year to make things happen instantly. To the contrary, it’s the existing ownership which failed to capitalize on the 2021 title that has to accept some of the blame. Thinking “We won, so this is good enough for now,” has turned out to be a devastatingly shortsighted mentality. Candace Parker leaving for Vegas last offseason should’ve been a secondary alarm (and a loud one at that), but the impetus that could’ve created came and went over the last 12 months as well.
Consequently, Kahleah Copper has now been forced to turn into a martyr—the one player who was keen to stay but, now, has seen enough. In truth, signing one (or both) of Skylar or Nneka was only going to be a short term measure. If either had looked past the subpar facilities situation to join the team, it would’ve kept Kah happy for now, but she was clear that the franchise as a whole rising to the world class standard she expected from herself was also critical. By asking to be dealt (I have to assume the front office didn’t choose to trade her) so soon after signing an extension, it’s clear Copper wasn’t messing around about that ask. Other players might have stuck around and, to some extent, the media would commend their loyalty, but I feel Copper has done right by herself and by the franchise by sticking to her word and demanding better, sooner.
2.What now?
Who is next to see the exit door? To phrase it another way, which pieces of the Sky’s current roster are actually a part of the franchise’s long term plans? Marina Mabrey and Dana Evans certainly seem to be, but there’s few others that can be looked at as a definitive part of the franchise’s road back to title contention (Sika Koné is the other name who should be part of the team’s plans—let’s see). With Mabrey the only player under a guaranteed contract for 2025 (Evans will be a restricted free agent), returning veterans like Elizabeth Williams and Isabelle Harrison have the flexibility to depart next offseason, but are they keen to be a part of next season’s inevitable struggles? Harrison—seeking to build up her value in free agency after injury and getting the chance to start again—may be patient in seeing how things play out, but I’d be asking my agent to see who else could make space for me if I was in Williams’ shoes.
And what about Rebekah Gardner? While she’s entering her third WNBA season, she’s also 33 by virtue of having played so many seasons overseas before finally getting a crack at the W in 2022. If I’m Gardner, I’m not interested in signing on to be a part of the Sky’s rebuild. Even if she’s elevated to the starting lineup and performs at a high level, it’s unlikely she’ll be seen as the team’s primary option given her age and the team’s presumed lack of competitiveness next season. As a result, she may find herself sacrificing some of what she can offer to see others succeed. She’s an unselfish player and plenty capable of doing that, but why not be on a championship team if you’re going to have to sacrifice anyway? Given where things are at (and the relatively cheap deal Gardner will probably play on next season), I’d be shocked if the Sky didn’t deal her to a contender in the next few weeks.
3.The Draft
The other interesting note to consider—and we’ll circle back to this when the trade details are finalized—what are the Sky thinking with the #3 pick in April’s draft? From my perspective, it certainly looked like the top three picks in the draft were going to be Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink and Paige Bueckers—likely in that order. But where does Bueckers fit in a team with Evans and Mabrey? In other years, I’d suggest the Sky could try to package assets and move up, but the Fever aren’t going to trade #1 for anything less than a hall-of-famer while I don’t see what the Sky could give LA that would be worth swapping spots (unless Curt Miller and Raegan Pebley know they want to pick Bueckers anyway).
To remedy this situation the Sky could:
(1) go for one of the talented bigs right behind the presumed top three on draft boards (South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, LSU’s Angel Reese or several others) at number three.
(2) move down to pick one of those players (or someone else) and collect more assets in the process. Washington, currently slated to pick #6, could be an ideal trade partner if the Sky decide to go this route.
(3) deal one of Mabrey or Evans to make space for Bueckers in the backcourt. Of course, moving either to the bench is also an option, but it seems impractical for a team likely to finish near the bottom of the standings.
Given how messy things are right now, it’s challenging to make any sort of prediction on which of these avenues the Sky might end up taking. I’d argue that, at this point, it’s ideal if the Sky aren’t committed to any one path. With little chance of a playoff berth in 2024 and 2025’s pick likely to be swapped for a worse one from playoff-contenders Dallas, the new front office (who are likely feeling the pressure already) should keep their mind open to all opportunities to creatively rebuild the roster in the coming months.