The WNBA is still awaiting the approval of the next collective bargaining agreement, and teams are awaiting dates for when both the upcoming Expansion Draft and the 2026 WNBA Draft will take place.
Free agency should begin later this winter. That also means the trade market can reopen for business. There’s one team in particular that has something enticing for the Chicago Sky. After winning the 2021 WNBA Championship, Chicago hasn’t had too much success as a franchise since.
May 24, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Members of the Chicago Sky pose for a picture as the 2021 WNBA Championship Banner is revealed during a championship ring ceremony before a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Sky made the playoffs both seasons after their first WNBA championship. However, the team has failed to qualify for the postseason. The last time that Chicago made the WNBA Playoffs, the Las Vegas Aces ousted them on the way to their second of two consecutive titles.
Aside from the Sky’s head coach being a former assistant for the Aces back in 2022 through 2024, Chicago’s and Las Vegas’s WNBA teams don’t have much in common. Yet, their is potential trade that could make these to adversaries come to an agreement and make a trade.
Chicago will pick fifth overall in the WNBA Draft next spring. The team is fairly set at the center and power forward positions for at least one more season.
Two-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese has been the league’s leader in rebounds her first two seasons. Center Kamilla Cardoso has also helped forge the Sky into one of the top rebounding teams in the WNBA.
Oct 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd (24) dribbles the ball past Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) in the first half during game three of the 2025 WNBA Finals at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Of all the players from the Aces’s championship roster, there’s one veteran guard with a connection to Chicago. After spending her first ten seasons with the Seattle Storm, Jewell Loyd was traded to Las Vegas ahead of the 2025 WNBA season.
In her first season with the Aces, Loyd won her third WNBA championship. The Lincolnwood, Illinois native enjoyed winning her first two titles with the Storm in 2018 and 2020.
Loyd, a graduate of Niles Wesy High School in Skokie, Illinois (a suburb outside of Chicago), could sign with the Sky as a free agent. However, the Aces could try to pull off a rare sign-and-trade in order to retain any possible asset for the six-time WNBA All-Star.
Aug 28, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Sky guard Ariel Atkins (7) against the Phoenix Mercury at Phx Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
With Ariel Atkins, a former WNBA champion herself, possibly not returning to the Sky, Loyd not only becomes an insurance policy but an immediate upgrade. The 32-year-old athlete averaged just over 11 points in her first season with the Aces.
However, two seasons prior, Loyd averaged a career-high of 24.7 points per game. That came in 2023 as a member of the Storm.
Chicago needs answers on offense and elevated play from their guards in 2026. If the Sky could pull off a deal to attain Loyd’s services, the Aces also don’t walk away empty-handed in letting Loyd go.
