WNBA free agency officially opened Jan. 21 — and the Chicago Sky have a major task in front of them to build a new roster under first-year coach Teresa Weatherspoon.
Here’s what you need to know about departures, additions, front-office news and much more.
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Feb. 6: Sky reportedly trading Kahleah Copper to Mercury
The Sky are trading three-time All-Star Kahleah Copper to the Phoenix Mercury, according to multiple reports Tuesday. Details of the trade have not been reported.
BREAKING: The Chicago Sky is trading Kahleah Copper to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for players and draft pick compensation, sources tell @GrlsTlkSportsTV.
— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) February 6, 2024
The Sky signed Copper to a two-year contract extension in September that runs through 2025. Copper’s deal was for $241,984 in 2024 — the supermax for this year — and $248,134 in Year 2.
“Chicago has been everything I could’ve asked for and more over the past seven seasons,” Copper said in a statement at the time. “This is where I’ve grown as a player, as a person, and where I’m proud to say I’ve become one with this community.
“This city doesn’t cut corners and pours everything it has into each day. That’s a standard I’m proud to upkeep. I’m ready and excited to grow and build on my legacy here and give this city, our fans, my teammates, coaches and the entire Sky organization everything I have to bring another championship back home.”
A 6-foot-1 wing, Copper has spent seven of her eight WNBA seasons in Chicago and was the sole remaining core player from the Sky’s 2021 championship run, during which she was named Finals MVP.
Feb. 5: Diamond DeShields returns to the Sky
Diamond DeShields signed a contract with the Sky on Feb. 5, according to the league’s public transaction tracker. The length and the terms of the deal have not been reported.
“They say if it’s meant to be it’ll come back,” DeShields said. “Well, I’m back!”
“They say if it’s meant to be, it’ll come back. Well, I’m back” – @diamonddoesit1
The 2021 Champ is back home!
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) February 5, 2024
Drafted by Chicago in 2018, DeShields was an integral part of the Sky roster for her first four seasons in the league, including on the 2021 championship team. She averaged 13.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 27.2 minutes per game across those four seasons. DeShields earned an All-Star selection with the Sky in 2019 — the best season of her career, in which she averaged 16.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
DeShields left the Sky as a free agent in 2022 to sign with the Phoenix Mercury. She saw slightly reduced playing time in Phoenix, averaging 13.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
The Mercury traded DeShields to the Dallas Wings last February in a four-team trade that also sent Marina Mabrey to the Sky. DeShields did not play in the 2023 season due to a knee injury.
A buoyant forward, DeShields will bring the necessary depth and energy to the Sky’s frontcourt as they adjust to the departure of Alanna Smith.
Feb. 1: Sky sign veteran guard Lindsay Allen
Former Notre Dame guard Lindsay Allen, a six-year WNBA veteran, has signed with the Sky, the team announced Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
A 2017 second-round draft pick by the New York Liberty, the 5-foot-8 Allen ended her college career with school records for assists (841) and career and consecutive starts (149). She has played for the Liberty, Las Vegas Aces, Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx, averaging 4.3 points and 3.1 assists in 143 career games (55 starts).
Allen started 20 of her 29 games for the Lynx last season and averaged 6.2 points and a career-high 4.5 assists. She’s currently playing for Botasspor Adana in Turkey, and she helped the Melbourne Boomers win the 2022 WNBL title in Australia, earning Finals MVP honors.
“Lindsay will be a great addition to our roster this season,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a statement. “She has grit, tenacity and a hunger to win — that is the type of player Coach Weatherspoon and I want on our team.”
Feb. 1: Courtney Williams signs with Lynx, Skylar Diggins-Smith with Storm
Courtney Williams joined Sky teammate Alanna Smith in signing with the Lynx on Thursday.
The 5-8 Williams had a stellar season in Chicago last year, averaging 10.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and a career-best 6.3 assists in 40 games and finishing fourth in the league in 3-point shooting (44.3%). She has career averages of 12.1 points, 5.4 points and 3.5 assists over eight seasons with four teams.
The 6-4 Smith had a career year in her fifth season, averaging 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. She was a finalist for the WNBA’s Most Improved Player award.
Also Thursday, Skylar Diggins-Smith signed with the Seattle Storm, while the Liberty are trying to add another Sky free-agent target in Nneka Ogwumike.
The Liberty met with Ogwumike, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because ongoing negotiations were private. Ogwumike watched the Brooklyn Nets-Phoenix Suns game courtside Wednesday night with Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Betnijah Laney.
Ogwumike has spent her entire career with the Los Angeles Sparks since getting drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2012, but she said she would play elsewhere this season. ESPN first reported Ogwumike’s meeting with the Liberty.
Diggins-Smith returns to the WNBA after giving birth to her second child and sitting out last season. The six-time All-Star, who last played with the Phoenix Mercury, is averaging 16.7 points and 4.9 rebounds for her career and reunites in Seattle with former Notre Dame teammate Jewell Loyd.
Jan. 26: Alanna Smith to sign with Minnesota Lynx
The Sky suffered their first free-agency loss when forward Alanna Smith chose to sign with the Minnesota Lynx, per a report by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. Smith reportedly will sign a two-year deal.
Smith was a candidate for Most Improved Player last season as she stepped up in a breakout role for the Sky, filling the frontcourt for the injured Isabelle Harrison. She averaged 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. As a sixth-year veteran of the league, Smith was an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The Sky did not extend a qualifying offer to center Ruthy Hebard, which means that Harrison and Elizabeth Williams are the only frontcourt players from last season currently on the roster. This furthers the importance of making a strong bid for forwards such as Nneka Ogwumike, who could upgrade the Sky in the paint and around the rim.
Jan. 24: Nneka Ogwumike reportedly meets with Sky
After 12 years in Los Angeles, eight-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike informed the Sparks she will be departing in free agency — and according to a report by ESPN, the Sky are one of the first teams Ogwumike interviewed with as she weighs her options.
Ogwumike shared on her Instagram account that she was in Chicago on Tuesday. According to the report, Ogwumike also met with the Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury and will meet with the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty before making a final decision.
Signing Ogwumike would fill a major need for the Sky as they look to create better balance in their frontcourt alongside Elizabeth Williams. Ogwumike is a veteran star who led the Sparks as league MVP on the way to a league title in 2016. She is highly respected as the president of the WNBA Players Association, a role she has held for two terms since 2016.
How did the Sky fare last year?
The last offseason was a disruptive one for the Sky, who were forced to adjust after the departures of Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Azurá Stevens.
After losing four free agents, the front office refocused to build the roster around All-Star guard Kahleah Copper with the additions of Marina Mabrey, Courtney Williams, Elizabeth Williams and Isabelle Harrison. But the season was upended a second time with the abrupt midyear departure of former coach James Wade.
The Sky finished 18-22, earning the eighth seed in the WNBA playoffs. They were swept in the first round by the Las Vegas Aces, who went on to win a second straight championship.
A new coach, a new era
After floundering for the latter half of last season following Wade’s departure, the Sky have recalibrated their focus for 2024 around Weatherspoon.
The Sky named Weatherspoon their new coach on Oct. 12. They named Jeff Pagliocca as the new general manager later that month.
Weatherspoon is a giant of the league, a five-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist who defined the early years of the WNBA. But despite her deep wealth of knowledge and experience in the league, this will be a debut coaching season in the WNBA for her.
Her initial priority was clear: lock down a future with Copper. The Sky signed their star wing to a multiyear extension on Sept. 10, a month before Weatherspoon was hired. The pair have been in lockstep ever since, appearing together at Weatherspoon’s introductory news conference, where Copper praised the new coach’s energy and intention.
Building a team around Copper is a familiar task for the Sky. Weatherspoon now inherits the changes made last season and will have to determine how much of that team she and Pagliocca are comfortable retaining in their first year together.
Key free-agent target: Skylar Diggins-Smith
Diggins-Smith is perhaps the most interesting free agent on the market this year.
She parted ways with the Phoenix Mercury in the wake of a publicly contentious relationship with teammates, including Diana Taurasi, and has been eager to share her free-agency progress with fans via social media. (Her hometown Indiana Fever, for instance, are a team she reported to be uninterested in signing her.)
A six-time All-Star, Diggins-Smith is a skilled point guard who would immediately upgrade the Sky’s offense while allowing off-ball guards such as Copper to thrive with fewer on-ball responsibilities.
The Sky have several ins with Diggins-Smith — most importantly, a long-standing relationship with Weatherspoon, who was open about her interest in the guard during interviews last year. Copper was also bullish on the idea of bringing in Diggins-Smith, saying she “would help us get another championship” in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.
Sky send out offers
The Sky extended qualifying offers to three players: Robyn Parks, Morgan Bertsch and Rebekah Gardner.
Parks and Bertsch were secondary role players who stepped up during injury absences last year. Both players made their WNBA debuts in 2023; Bertsch at age 25, Parks at 30.
Gardner, 33, is a key player for the Sky despite missing most of last season with a foot injury. A defensive specialist who can break opponents open in transition, she has been outperforming expectations since she made her WNBA debut in 2022. Her unique combination of defensive skill and lack of league experience made Gardner a steal on the free-agent market.
Current roster status
Under contract: Kahleah Copper, Dana Evans, Isabelle Harrison, Sika Koné, Marina Mabrey and Elizabeth Williams
Qualifying offers extended: Morgan Bertsch, Rebekah Gardner and Robyn Parks
Free agents: Ruthy Hebard, Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams
Associated Press contributed.
