rewrite this content and keep HTML tags (remove this from content : rewrite this content and keep HTML tags)
The long wait is over for the players of the WNBA, who clinched a verbal agreement with the league on Wednesday for a new collective bargaining agreement after months of contentious back-and-forth and days of marathon negotiation sessions.
Now, the real work begins for the Chicago Sky. In the next 52 days, the Sky must assemble an almost entirely new roster through free agency and the draft, a whirlwind procedure that will take place in a fraction of its typical timeline. Only the four players still on their rookie deals are returning: Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Hailey Van Lith and Maddie Westbeld.
This is an especially pivotal season for the Sky. General manager Jeff Pagliocca needs to prove that he can build a cohesive vision for the team in both the short- and long-term. Coach Tyler Marsh needs to prove that his brutal 10-win introduction to the league was simply growing pains. And the Sky’s greater leadership — both operating chair Nadia Rawlinson and longtime owner Michael Alter — need to prove they are willing and able to invest the capital and resources necessary to compete in the modern WNBA.
The front office also needs to determine if the future in Chicago truly runs through Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The team’s twin towers have been the defining feature of the roster for two seasons, but inconsistent rosters and diminished team play (in addition to their own injuries and international duty) have limited either star from transferring their collegiate success to the pros.
Before any of these trials can begin, the Sky must first speed-run the typical roster assembly process. CBA negotiations blew through several major deadlines previously set by the league, leaving teams to face a cramped runway before the regular season begins on May 8.
The Sky play their first game of the season in Portland on May 9. Before that, the league will undergo a two-team expansion draft (estimated in the first week of April); the NCAA draft (previously scheduled for April 13); a short free-agency period (anticipated to run April 7-18); and a full preseason training camp (start date on April 19).
Veterans Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins will be key targets to return in free agency, but the Sky still need to fill in a massive dearth of playmaking and scoring talent (and, given Vandersloot’s injury recovery, availability) in their backcourt.
Also in limbo is the arrival of 2025 draftee Ajša Sivka, a highly talented wing player who opted to remain in Europe last season after the Sky drafted her as a teenager. The Sky front office fully expects Sivka to report to training camp and sign her rookie deal this season, but until the Slovenian lands in Chicago, this remains a major “what if?” for this roster.
Wednesday’s verbal agreement did not answer every question still looming over the 2026 season. The league has not outlined the specific rules for the expansion draft. Traditionally, this roster-building mechanism allows the two new debutantes to select at least one player who is either under contract or a restricted free agent from every team in the league. In return, preexisting teams could protect up to six players on their roster.
But with more than 80% of the league in unrestricted free agency, that process wouldn’t work — for instance, the Sky have four players under contract and zero restricted free agents, which means they could simply protect the entirety of their roster under the old rules. The announcement of this expansion draft’s rules will help to clarify expectations for free agents, under-contract players, and both new and old teams.
The union also has yet to publicize key details from the new CBA, which will create a more detailed framework for how the Sky can construct a 2026 roster. Changes could include increased salaries for players like Reese and Cardoso, who are still on their rookie deals.
For now, Sky fans (and WNBA supporters at large) should take a moment to catch their breath. The players’ union and the league will sign a term sheet soon, and the full agreement will then be sent out for a players’ vote before a final ratification by the league’s Board of Governors. This process could take a few days or a few weeks before the new agreement is set in stone.
Once the calendar turns to early April, however, the league will set off at a dead sprint toward the start of the season — and the Sky will do their best to keep up with the competition.
