The Chicago Sky just got bigger — and a whole lot better from behind the arc — in the first official day of WNBA free agency.
The Sky made two crucial moves to reinforce their backcourt Saturday, signing Kia Nurse out of free agency and trading guard Lindsay Allen to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for wing Rebecca Allen. The trade of the Allens — who are not related — was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Nurse signing was first reported by ESPN. These moves immediately followed the signing of former star Courtney Vandersloot to return to the point guard role.
With these acquisitions, the Sky are developing a clear identity for their backcourt: a lengthy and defensive-minded group with an ability to spread the floor via shooting, giving bigs Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso space to work in the paint and low post.
General manager Jeff Pagliocca entered this offseason with the goal of giving the Sky balance. Last year, the offense struggled with stagnation due to a lack of ball facilitation and long-range shooting. The Sky were the worst 3-point shooting team in the league, taking 14.9 attempts behind the arc per game.
Without any outside threat, opposing defenses felt comfortable packing the paint to gum up the offense around Reese and Cardoso, who were limited as a result. This was exacerbated by the fact that the Sky were one of the smallest teams in the league at the perimeter last season, fielding guards like Lindsay Allen (5-foot-8), Chennedy Carter (5-foot-9) and Dana Evans (5-foot-6).
Adding Nurse and Rebecca Allen should alleviate these issues. Nurse is a 6-foot guard and a career 32.4% shooter from 3-point range despite seeing a slight dip in production during an off year with the Los Angeles Sparks last season. Allen is a 6-foot-2 wing who averaged 35.7% behind the arc with the Sun in 2024. Both players are also consistent rebounders, an important trait as a higher volume of 3-point attempts will likely elicit longer rebounds that backcourt players will need to track down.
Allen’s health is a concern — she missed parts of last season with hip and back injuries, ultimately missing the playoffs for season-ending back surgery. But if she can return to full health, the wing will provide an important piece of spacing to the Sky offense.
With Vandersloot as their primary point guard, the Sky no longer need to rely on Lindsay Allen as a facilitator — and Rebecca Allen is an immediate upgrade for the backcourt, standing six inches taller while contributing four times the 3-point production on offense.
The Sky have now assembled the bulk of their backcourt, which will also include 5-foot-10 guard Rachel Banham and 6-foot wing Michaela Onyenwere, who is expected to re-sign after receiving a qualifying offer in restricted free agency. The front office is still weighing options for Evans and Moriah Jefferson, who played secondary roles last season.
Adding Nurse and Allen also creates a clear road map for the rest of the offseason. The Sky spent most of January shopping the No. 3 draft pick as a potential asset to acquire veteran backcourt talent to provide crucial balance for Reese and Cardoso. But after adding three inexpensive yet highly skilled perimeter players — Vandersloot for facilitation, Allen and Nurse for high-volume 3-point shooting — the Sky are now more likely to retain the No. 3 and No. 10 picks to dig into the second phase of building through the draft.
The Sky are still looking for the same qualities out of draft picks: length, shooting and defense. This makes several ideal pairings stand out, namely Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron and Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers.
Citron is a 6-foot-1 wing known for her defense who shot 36.8% over her four-year career in South Bend. Her ability to space the floor and facilitate off the ball — complementing teammate Olivia Miles, who is projected to be selected second overall if she declares for the draft — has been crucial to the Fighting Irish’s success this season. Sellers is a similarly prolific scorer for the Terrapins, shooting 33.8% from 3-point range.
The Sky could round out this group by inviting former 2024 second-round draft pick Brynna Maxwell to training camp this spring. Maxwell fit Pagliocca’s profile — a 6-foot guard who shot 42.7% from deep across a five-year college career — but she never had a chance to prove herself with the Sky after suffering a long-term knee injury in her first training camp.
After a promising outing in Spain in the latter half of 2024, Maxwell could be another low-risk, high-reward piece for the Sky to bulk up their shot profile.
Plenty could change in the next two months before the WNBA draft in April — but a clear path toward a successful rebuilding year is a sign of progress for the Sky, who are now well-positioned to set the foundation for a new identity under first-year head coach Tyler Marsh.
