Sky Should Pursue Mercury Star in Free Agency
With the Chicago Sky having just four players under contract going into the 2026 WNBA regular season or beyond, there are quite a few roster spots to fill. All-Star forward Angel Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso have one more year left on their rookie deals.
Team options for the 2027 season exist, should the Sky want to exercise those. The pair of rookies from the 2025 season, Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld are under contract through the 2027 season as well, with an option for each in 2028.
For the second season in a row, Chicago was among the best rebounding teams in the league. However, their offensive scoring and ability to control the ball left many question marks for first-year head coach Tyler Marsh.
Veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot went down early in the season due to an ACL tear. From then on, the Sky committed the most turnovers in the league.
Vandersloot stated her interest in returning to the team where she won her first WNBA championship. In 2021, Chicago won their only title despite having a 16-16 record during the regular season that year.
Jeff Pagliocca, the Sky's general manager, would be wise to enlist the services of another player from that championship roster. Chicago needs strong veteran leadership that can help pacify any lingering locker room tension from Reese's late-season comments about the team and organization as a whole.
KAHLEAH FREAKING COPPER 🥳@kahleahcopper pic.twitter.com/CLeFCvRwOS
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) August 28, 2020
Kahleah Copper is 'that girl' for the Chicago Sky.
The 31-year-old is enjoying her ninth season in the league. She is currently playing in the WNBA Finals against Marsh's former team, the Las Vegas Aces.
Copper averaged 23 points and three steals per game during the three meetings against the Sky. Chicago lost all three games to the Mercury this year.
The former Rutgers Scarlet Knight standout is averaging 22 points per game during the 2025 WNBA Finals. Copper is shooting 47% from behind the three-point arc, which is 10% better than she shot during the regular season.
Phoenix is down 2-0 to the Aces in the 2025 WNBA Finals. Just like Chicago, they also have a good amount of free agents with just Kalani Brown under contract for next season.
Ariel Atkins was traded to the Sky during the 2025 WNBA Draft from the Washington Mystics. She is also a former champion in the league (2019). She made $200,000 this season, slightly less than Copper.
Chicago would benefit from signing Copper to a two-year deal worth about the same money per season as Atkins' last contract. If Marsh wants to return the Sky to their winning ways (and keep his job), convincing Pagliocca to spend on star talent like Copper makes sense.
A locker room with a pair of veterans and franchise legends in Vandersloot and Copper can help Marsh with player development, an area of expertise for him since his days on the Aces bench. A starting lineup of Vandersloot and Copper in the back court, with Westbeld elevated to the starting lineup to join Reese and Cardoso could be a formidable formation for the Sky in 2026.
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My name is Scott Conrad and I am a Contributor for the Chicago Sky with Sports Illustrated.com. I am also a Contributor with FanSided on NinerNoise, as well as Da Windy City. In addition, I am the Site Editor/Expert for The View from Avalon. I spent two seasons (2015 & 2016) with the Tampa Bay Times as a Correspondent covering high school football. I am a two-time published author with more work to come. In my teenage years, I started watching both MLS and WNBA start in 1996 and grow to be the juggernauts they are in their respective sports. Much love to the career on and off the court for fellow-Napervillian and former Sky forward Candace Parker. Outside of the sports journalism world, I am a travel volleyball coach. I accepted the Head Coach position with Greater Cincinnati Volleyball Club for their U13-2 team. In terms of active sports, I play volleyball, soccer, softball, kickball and train in mixed martial arts.