The wild WNBA free agency period of February is over and the 2023 WNBA draft is complete. With those behind us, here is where the 2023 Chicago Sky training camp roster currently stands.
In classic #SkyShowInsight, let’s walk through all of this, bullet point by bullet point.
Longstanding general manager and head coach (further on noted as GMHC) James Wade has stated that there is a clear 10-solid roster–or, at least there was. Recent news has Astou Ndour no longer joining the team after she signed a one-year, $115k contract and is now fully suspended for the season. News coming a day before her birthday was Ruthy Hebard’s short film about revealing a new baby to her family. Congrats to Ruthy, the dad and the whole family for this blessing! It is to be determined if Ruthy will take the 2023 season off or hopes to work out and return to the court.
With that, the clear 10 has gone down to nine–and potentially may go down to eight. It comes down to the new draftees (Kayana Traylor and Kseniya Malashka), undrafted pick-ups (Angel Baker, Robyn Parks, Feyonda Fitzgerald), a waiver pickup in Kristine Anigwe, a recent pickup in Morgan Bertsch or prior-year favorites Anneli Maley or Li YueRu for the No. 10, 11 or even 12 spots.
Money has opened up a bit for Chicago, so bringing in multiple players with less than two years of experience at the minimum can be possible. Even a veteran minimum could be snuck in depending on how dominoes fall. It should be noted that as a more experienced young player in the league, Anigwe would fall in the over three years of service boat and vet min of $74k. It is wild how the training camp waiver wire went from an outside possibility, to maybe and now to a likely possibility for Wade to explore.
The focus first and foremost is on the talent brought into Sky training camp. Her Hoop Stats currently has the Sky slated with $143k in cap space for two players. That number could get up to $289k for four players outside of the clear eight. Fans will have to see what GMHC and the front office have in store.
At the second-highest contract, Mabrey is expected to enter a PG1 role (via The Sixth Podcast of the Year, Double Down WNBA Podcast) and Evans as PG2. The drafting/pickups of combo guards Traylor, Baker and Fitzgerald seem to indicate the PG rotation of Mabrey/Evans is fairly set.
One of Copper or Gardner can be expected to be a focal point for the 2023 Sky, with at least one always on the floor.
Maley, a crowd favorite in her stint with the Sky last year, returns as a forward that was the last remaining waiver cut for the 2022 squad. Malashka has been mentioned via The Next as a future year Sky player, potentially in 2024, when more spots may open up for the team. Parks joins Traing Camp similar to Fitzgerald as a professional basketballer looking for a full-time WNBA opportunity, a la Gardner of last year.
Post spots remain, with the most uncertain ones with clear commitments to the guaranteed contracts of Harrison and E.Williams, along with a pretty strong verbal and public commitment to Smith. This rotation probably becomes the most malleable for the team from now until Game 1.
The Chinese National Team has shown a strong commitment towards the WNBA and league experience this year with a slew of National Team talent joining training camp rosters and potentially full seasons, like Han Xu rejoining the new-look Liberty. There’s a willingness to forego the FIBA Asia World Cup for these WNBA minutes. This is therefore set up pretty well for a Li YueRu and Chicago Sky reunion – except it has not been confirmed yet. Perhaps Wade and the staff want to try out these posts before bringing Li over, knowing already what she brings from her partial regular season last year. Or maybe Wade still remains uncertain of the Chinese National Team commitment to Li for a full WNBA season. It would be a bit tough to see all other Chinese players at their training camps except for Li, but if that is what is needed to sort this out, it might be what ends up happening.
We have noted 16 total athletes without Li YueRu and Ruthy Hebard, with a max set at 15 for in-person training camp. Marina Mabrey may be the late arrival here, with a Game 1 Italian League Finals game the day before Day 1 of training camp. Wade and staff may also try to replace Ndour with a similar mode/skillset of a mobile, energetic, rebounding, three-point-abled stretch four or five. Berstch has the length, shot-blocking and three-point shooting down. Anigwe has rebounding, energy and athleticism. It could really come down to how training camp goes, or perhaps both can go along for the ride.
#Skytown looks different than last year, but the journey that awaits is why fans love following the sport or a franchise. It is change that breeds new light, new opportunities and new triumphs, and there is excitement for what is to come in Chicago this season.