Three Players Who Must Step After Sky’s Trade Deadline Decision
The Chicago Sky stood pat at the trade deadline on Thursday, keeping a tradition of sticking with its current roster around one of the more important moments of the season. The Sky opted to keep things the same during last year's deadline, but would send away guard Marina Mabrey in a blockbuster trade about one month prior. With 14 games remaining in its regular season schedule, Chicago won't have a lot of time to change things up before its 2025 run can come to a close.
Which players need to step up and be leaders for the Sky following Thursday's trade deadline?
Elizabeth Williams
Williams, now in her third season with the Sky, has logged 10 starts with the squad since late June. The defensive stalwart has notched two double-doubles in her recent matchups, including in a win over the Washington Mystics that saw her lead Chicago with 18 points. The 6-foot-3 big started in every one of her games with the Sky before this season and carved out her role as a defender in the past.
The experienced veteran must continue to up her role for a Sky team that has been one of the WNBA's better rebounding squads. Chicago stands at fourth place in the league with just under 36 boards per game, putting it ahead of the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty.
Michaela Onyenwere
Onyenwere also took some time before earning 10 starts for the Sky this season. The former Mercury forward has logged a handful of decent scoring games this season. They were highlighted by a 17-point outing in a June loss to her former squad. She earned a more consistent starting role for Chicago following last year's Mabrey trade, where she would see her scoring averages steadily improve until she hit 10.4 points per game last September.
The 6-foot forward may need to play a more valuable role on a guard-heavy roster as it starts to navigate through the final stretch of its 2025 campaign.
Rachel Banham
Banham, who joined the Sky in last year's Sun trade, is averaging career highs in points and assists per game during her second season with the Windy City. The 32-year-old guard showed off her scoring ability in late July, when she dropped as many as 26 points in a loss to the Indiana Fever. Should she continue to run the point for Chicago, she will need to be a more consistent scorer and passer on a Sky squad in need of a spark on offense.
Alex Sabri began contributing to the BIGPLAY Network in September 2025. He also contributes to Chicago Sky on SI and FanSided's High Post Hoops. The Purdue and Cleveland State graduate has over two years of journalism experience in collegiate and professional sports, as well as local journalism, and a few more years of sports blogging experience. Though he specializes in covering Ohio sports for BIGPLAY, his interests include the NBA, WNBA, NFL, Cleveland Guardians and college football and basketball.