Sky looking to hit big in WNBA draft lottery

Sunday, the Sky will participate in the WNBA draft lottery for the first time since 2018.

It’s a privilege awarded to the league’s bottom four teams, with the Sky being one of them after finishing the season with a 13-27 record and failing to make the playoffs. To dissuade overt tanking, lottery odds are based on all four teams’ cumulative records over the last two seasons.

Based on those records, the Sky and Wings are tied with the second-best odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The Sparks have the best odds and the Mystics are predicted to land the No. 4 pick. Regardless of the odds, the Sky have no shot at the top pick because of a trade executed by former coach/general manager James Wade in 2023.

The trade, which brought guard Marina Mabrey to the Sky ahead of the 2023 season, gave the Wings the right to swap first-round picks with the Sky in the 2025 draft. They will implement that swap if the Sky land a better pick on Sunday. The best-case scenario for the Sky would be if the Wings win the No. 1 pick, giving them a shot at No. 2.

This will be a lofty expectation, considering the Sparks have a significant advantage in landing the No. 1 overall pick because of their dismal 25-55 record over the 2023-2024 seasons.

Angel Reese will represent the Sky at the lottery on Sunday. This will be the first time she has publicly appeared on behalf of the Sky since coach Teresa Weatherspoon was fired as coach in September. Reese did not attend the team’s October groundbreaking ceremony for its new practice facility, and was also absent from Tyler Marsh’s introductory press conference.

Reese’s presence at the lottery is significant because it signals her support for the team’s future after openly sharing her disapproval of Weatherspoon’s firing on social media. It also solidifies that she is the face of the franchise. She backed Marsh’s hiring by posting “W” on her X account, signifying it was a win for the franchise. She has since been in active communication with Marsh.

Under Marsh, the Sky’s identity will be rooted on the offensive side. The first-year coach is known for developing player’s offensive skills, specifically three-point shooting. Aces guard Jackie Young’s improvement from 2021 to ’22 offers one of the strongest examples of Marsh’s impact. The Sky, however, cannot rely solely on Marsh’s player development skills to improve their shooting efficiency.

They must make personnel changes through free agency and target the right rookie in the draft.

General manager Jeff Pagliocca will have $923,625 in cap space, according to HerHoopStats.com with Isabelle Harrison, Brianna Turner and Diamond DeShields all set to become unrestricted free agents.

Michaela Onyenwere, Dana Evans and Chennedy Carter will be restricted free agents, meaning the Sky have the right of first refusal.

UConn guard Paige Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 pick. Targets for the Sky could include Bueckers, teammate Azzi Fudd, Notre Dame Guard Olivia Miles and even USC forward Kiki Iriafen.

LSU forward and Chicago native Aneesah Morrow is another intriguing option to consider in the draft.

Pagliocca could also make roster changes through the expansion draft on Dec. 6 if the Valkyries are open to negotiating. Beyond the expansion team being able to select one unprotected player from each of the 12 existing teams, it could also select a player with a previously negotiated trade in mind.

The most pressing question before the draft is not who the Sky will select. Rather, it’s what six players they will protect ahead of the expansion draft on Dec. 6. Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Elizabeth Williams are all non-negotiables. Determining the remaining three players to protect will require more discussion between Pagliocca and Marsh.