Chicago Sky Unveil Revamped Roster Following Major Trades and Draft Moves

The Chicago Sky have entered a new phase for the upcoming WNBA season, unveiling a dramatically overhauled roster after a series of high-profile trades, free-agent acquisitions, and draft picks. General manager Jeff Pagliocca confirmed this week that the team has finalized recruitment targets as it moves forward without Angel Reese, following a major trade that marked the second large-scale roster shift during his three-year tenure.

The offseason has seen a flurry of activity from the Sky front office. Notable additions include No. 5 overall draft pick Gabriela Jaquez, the return of Azura Stevens, veteran point guard Skylar Diggins, and Rickea Jackson among others. Additionally, Ajsa Sivka—last year's No. 10 overall pick who previously played overseas—has joined the team in the U.S. after additional development in Spain. The Sky are also set to benefit from the return of Courtney Vandersloot, who is recovering from a previous ACL injury that sidelined her most of last season.

Despite the optimism surrounding these changes, Chicago faces significant competition within the Eastern Conference. Several rival teams, including the Atlanta Dream, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, and Indiana Fever, have either maintained strong cores or added key talent. The Dream notably acquired Angel Reese, who said of her time in Chicago, “I enjoyed being able to grow within my first two years but I wanted more.” This wave of improvements around the league has put additional scrutiny on the Sky's strategy and on Pagliocca himself, who has attracted criticism from commentators outside Chicago.

The team enters training camp with a roster of 19 players, set to begin work on April 19. As the Sky aim to climb the conference rankings, questions remain as to how quickly the new lineup can gel and whether the transformation will yield better results than previous seasons. The organization’s progress will be closely watched as the WNBA season approaches, with fan expectations high after this offseason overhaul.

Training camp opens soon, and the team's final composition for the season will be determined in the coming weeks.