Chennedy Carter decision explained by Chicago Sky as Angel Reese teammate set for exit

Chennedy Carter, who is not currently playing in Unrivaled, was one of the Chicago Sky’s best players last season but is set to represent a new WNBA team in 2025

Chennedy Carter will not be returning to Chicago after the Sky decided against offering the point guard a new contract.

Carter, 26, will leave the Windy City after just one WNBA season, despite being one of the team’s standout players in 2024. She scored a team-best 17.5 points per game last term and sunk a career-best 577 points to outscore superstar Angel Reese (462 points).

Yet that wasn’t enough to earn a new contract. Chicago’s general manager Jeff Pagliocca wants to make changes to the team’s roster after bringing in a new set of coaches, with Tyler Marsh replacing Teresa Weatherspoon as head coach during the autumn.

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Chicago endured a disappointing 2024 campaign, finishing 10th in the standings and missing out on the postseason after winning just 13 of their 40 games. The Sky hold the third overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft after the lottery took place last November.

“Chennedy had an incredible season for us last year,” Pagliocca told the Chicago Sun-Times. “She’s extremely talented and is a player that can impact the game at the highest level in our league. We absolutely appreciate all she did for our team last year.”

Pagliocca then explained Chicago’s desire for a new-look team. He added: “We’ve made changes to our staff and will make changes to our roster. Those changes impact Chennedy’s fit on the team, so we wanted to give her the best opportunity as a free agent.”

Carter has experienced a mixed career in the WNBA since completing a three-year career with Texas A&M. She was selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2020 WNBA Draft but failed to nail down a starting spot during her two-year stint.

An unconvincing spell with the Sparks followed before she missed the entire WNBA season after being waived by Los Angeles. Carter has spent time playing overseas in Poland, Turkey, Israel, and most recently China – where she’s impressed for Wuhan Shengfan.

Carter is currently leading the Chinese league in points per game (31.1), steals per game (2.9), and blocks per game (2.9). She also recorded the first triple double in the league this season with a 33 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals, and one block display.

Carter is not playing in Unrivaled, the lucrative new 3×3 basketball tournament that’s taking place between now and mid-March. But her good form in Chicago and China should land her a contract for the 2025 WNBA season, perhaps even a multi-year deal.

Contracts for the new WNBA term can be signed from February onwards, with the draft taking place on April 14. Training camps are set to begin at the end of April, with the regular season starting on May 16. The New York Liberty are the defending champions.