Sky Finally Take a Step Toward Fixing What Went Wrong in Angel Reese Era
The Chicago Sky’s offseason has been busy. Trading Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream was the first move of a free agency period that’s seeing a ton of movement. Since then, the Sky have signed Skylar Diggins and Azurá Stevens, re-signed Elizabeth Williams and Rachel Banham, traded a 2028 first-round pick to the Washington Mystics for Jacy Sheldon, and are reportedly in talks with the Los Angeles Sparks about an Ariel Atkins-Rickea Jackson trade.
There are some solid moves in here, like getting Stevens and Jackson, but signing Skylar Diggins is the most important one. For years now, the Sky organization has been plagued by a lack of accountability, no sense of direction, and a culture that can be described as anything but winning. Signing an intense and unapologetic veteran star like Diggins could be the first step toward fixing those issues, especially the team’s culture.
Diggins will not allow a franchise to operate below a certain standard. In 2023, for example, she publicly called out the Phoenix Mercury for not letting her use the team’s resources while on maternity leave. She also expects her teammates to meet her level of commitment and passion on the court and will let them know if they don’t.
Chicago is starting to turn things around
Losing Angel Reese was a tough blow. She drove fans to the games and made the Sky one of the more popular teams in the league despite its on-court struggles.
But the Sky bounced back fairly quickly. Even after trading Reese, the Sky’s roster still features Kamilla Cardoso and Asja Sivka. Adding Rickea Jackson and another lottery pick (maybe Kiki Rice or Flau’jae Johnson) gives the Sky an interesting young core.
Diggins and Stevens can bring experience, leadership, and toughness to the team. Diggins led the Mercury to the Finals in 2021 alongside Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, and Stevens was part of the Sky team that beat them.
Everyone is getting the fresh start they so desperately needed, especially Reese and Cardoso. They just weren’t a good on-court fit. Now, Reese will be surrounded by 3-point shooters in Atlanta and gets to compete for a championship, while Cardoso can continue to develop in Chicago with a more versatile frontcourt partner and an All-Star point guard to get her the ball.
A new practice facility, which should be ready soon, will also help with the Sky’s reputation. One of the knocks on the franchise has been that it didn’t invest in its players and practiced in a rec center where players had to share a locker room with the general public—something Bec Allen recently called out in a brutally honest podcast interview.
Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.