The Sky Traded Angel Reese and Got Better. It Still Wasn’t Enough.

SWN Analysis · September 5, 2026

Standings current as of Aug. 26, 2026

The Chicago Sky are 15-24 and eliminated from playoff contention, fifth in the Eastern Conference.

That reads like another failed season, and in the standings it is. But the number that matters is the one it’s measured against: Chicago went 10-34 in 2025, last in the league. A five-win improvement with games left is real progress by any honest accounting — just not the kind that gets you to October.

The trade that defined the year

The Sky opened free agency by trading Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream.

It was the most scrutinized move the franchise has made in years, and not only because Reese was a two-time All-Star and the single-season record holder for rebounding average. She was, alongside Caleb Williams, one of the two 2024 draft picks who forced the national sports conversation to pay attention to Chicago. Losing that is not a basketball cost, but it is a cost.

The organization’s reasoning was specific: it concluded that Reese and Kamilla Cardoso weren’t a compatible long-term frontcourt pairing, and chose Cardoso. Two seasons of the twin-towers experiment had produced zero playoff appearances.

The uncomfortable postscript is that Atlanta is 25-13 and leading the Eastern Conference.

Building around Cardoso

Having picked Cardoso, the front office rebuilt the roster around her rather than continuing to rebuild through the draft.

Seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins signed a two-year deal to bring genuine playmaking to a backcourt that badly needed it. Azurá Stevens returned after three seasons with the Sparks, a 6-foot-6 forward adding length and interior scoring next to Cardoso. Chicago held the No. 5 overall pick — not the No. 2 its record would have earned, because of a 2024 trade with Minnesota.

The theory was a veteran-led competitive shift rather than another year at the bottom. At 15-24 versus 10-34, the theory partly worked.

The Cardoso question is still open

Entering the season, the central question about the Sky was whether Cardoso could be the player the franchise bet on.

The case for her is physical: 6-foot-7, an All-American and Final Four Most Outstanding Player at South Carolina, with the tools to be a dominant center. Across 72 career games she’s averaged 11.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocks on 52.6% shooting.

The case against was consistency. Her motor and production had been uneven through two pro seasons, and — the statistic that hung over the whole decision — the Sky were statistically better with her off the court in 2025.

Building a veteran roster around her was partly designed to answer this by lowering the stakes: with Diggins and Stevens carrying real load, Cardoso didn’t need to dominate for the team to function. Whether that produced the leap is the question the offseason will litigate.

What this season actually established

A floor. Chicago is no longer the worst team in the league by a distance. Fifth in the East isn’t a destination, but it’s a different starting position than last in the WNBA.

That the veteran approach has limits. Diggins and Stevens made the Sky watchable and competitive. They didn’t make them a playoff team, and both are on the wrong side of a rebuilding timeline. The next roster decision is harder than the last one.

That head coach Tyler Marsh has something to build on. Marsh took over a 13-27 team, went 10-34 in year one amid a roster the front office admitted was thin, and has improved on that materially with a group assembled around him rather than inherited. That’s the first evidence in his favor.

What’s next

The Sky’s offseason is about whether 15-24 is a floor or a ceiling. A veteran core signed to short deals, a franchise center still proving the bet, and a fanbase that watched its most famous player leave and then watched her new team run the conference.

Chicago also has a bid in to host the league’s marquee event, which would be the kind of moment that reframes a franchise. Winning would do it faster.

Chicago Sports Wire covers Sky news, schedules and game coverage all season. See the Sky schedule for tip-off times and broadcast info.