Two Things Sky Should Look Out for This Offseason
The Chicago Sky finished their most recent campaign with a record of 10-34, tying them with the Dallas Wings for last place in the WNBA. Chicago will have plenty to improve after logging one of their worst seasons since 2006, when the Sky went 5-29 during their first season as a franchise. They will have a handful of players under contract heading into the offseason, but will also have plenty of free agents to account for.
What are some of the most important things the Sky need to look for in what could be a consequential offseason for the Windy City squad?
Their No. 1 Scorer of the Future
Chicago scored an average of just under 76 points per game, putting it in last place in the league after doing nearly the same just last season. The Sky could at least rely on a few scoring guards to pick up some of the scoring slack in years past, but they tended to fizzle out if things didn't go their way this year. Guard Ariel Atkins could light a spark as a scorer, including in several outings with 20 points or more, but will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Adding a young, long-term No. 1 scorer alongside Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso could do wonders in providing some stability to an offense that has fallen from the heights it once reached just a few seasons ago, when the Sky earned a franchise-high 26 wins behind one of the most high-powered scoring attacks in the WNBA.
Perimeter Defenders
While defense as a whole will need to be a point of improvement for the Sky, they'll need to start by locking things down on the perimeter. Chicago ended last season with an opponent 3-point percentage of 36.6%, which put it on pace with the Los Angeles Sparks at near last place in the WNBA while being a far cry from just one season before. Teams hit 40% or more of their 3-point shots against the Sky 14 times last season and 50% or more on three occasions.
Adding more perimeter defenders alongside Reese and potentially bringing back Atkins, a 5-time All-Defensive selection who led the Sky in steals last season, could strengthen a team in need of something to hang its hat on before next season.
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.