Times are changing for Sydney Taylor.
The 25-year-old entered the league as an undrafted guard you’d never heard of, signing a one-year minimum contract with the Sky. One breakout season later, she looks like a star in the making who is in line for a much bigger payday.
A nice outcome for a mid-major kid who spent the previous two years playing in Poland and Lithuania.
Taylor will become a reserved free agent after this season, meaning she’ll be able to negotiate only with the Sky.
The Sky will want to lock her up for the long haul, adding another credible piece to a young core featuring Rickea Jackson, Kamilla Cardoso and Gabriela Jaquez.
The good news for Sky fans: Taylor told the Sun-Times on Thursday that she, too, sees a long-term future in Chicago.
“A long-term contract would be really nice,” she said. “A couple years. I would love to stay in Chicago and play for a while, as long as I can. I love the city, I love the fans. That’d be a great opportunity for me.”
It’s a much-needed win for the Sky. This past offseason, they traded presumed franchise cornerstone Angel Reese for first-round draft picks and made splashy veteran free-agent signings, including point guard Skylar Diggins. Those moves were intended to accelerate the rebuild. Instead, the Sky will miss the playoffs for the third year in a row.
Finding Taylor helps offset some of their misses.
There aren’t many elite shooting guards in the league. Taylor has the athleticism, talent and confidence to become one of them.
She ranks third among rookies in scoring at 13.8 points per game.
Since working her way into the starting lineup, Taylor has averaged 16 points and shot 36.7% from three-point range. She also became the first WNBA player since Courtney Vandersloot in 2022 to hit multiple buzzer-beating three-pointers in a season.
“She’s hopefully here for a long time,” coach Tyler Marsh said Wednesday. “She’s earned that. Her teammates believe in her. The city and this organization is behind her. The fan base loves her. We want to keep her in a Sky jersey for as long as possible.”
Taylor is still deciding what she’ll do this offseason. The Turkish club Galatasaray announced her signing in June, but Taylor now says she will “most likely” remain in the United States. She declined to comment on what changed.
Staying stateside could put Unrivaled, the three-on-three league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, in the mix. Taylor excelled with USA Basketball’s under-23 three-on-three team and is just the kind of young, exciting talent Unrivaled typically promotes.
Whatever she chooses, Marsh’s offseason priorities for Taylor will be similar to what he has emphasized throughout the season: Don’t fall so in love with the outside shot that she forgets about her downhill speed. He also wants her to continue developing as a playmaker, using the threat of her drives to create opportunities for others.
Taylor entered the FIBA break coming off a groin injury and the first mini-slump of her season. But after two weeks of rest, she says she feels “100% healthy” and doesn’t expect to face a minutes restriction during the final week of the regular season.
That gives her four more games to cap a life-changing season.