For WNBA general managers, the extension of a qualifying offer is often a low-risk scenario.
The offer, in the case of restricted free agents, comes with a one-year contract and slight salary increase. The player can opt to sign the offer sheet immediately. If she chooses not to, her previous team maintains exclusive negotiating rights, meaning if any other team offers her, it has the right to match.
The Sky have three players eligible to receive qualifying offers: Dana Evans, Chennedy Carter and Michaela Onyenwere. A qualifying offer can also be extended to reserved free agent Nikolina Milić.
Re-signing Onyenwere should be a priority for the Sky, especially considering the pool of small forwards available in free agency. Things get trickier when evaluating Evans and Carter’s future in Chicago.
First, it’s important to understand that making a qualifying offer does not guarantee a player will re-sign with that team. She could receive a better offer from another team that the Sky are unwilling to match. Second, not making a qualifying offer doesn’t mean that the player can’t re-sign under different terms. If a restricted free agent isn’t given a qualifying offer, she will become an unrestricted free agent Jan. 21 and can negotiate with any team, including her former team.
Whether the Sky make qualifying offers to Evans and Carter comes down to a few factors.
For Evans, a qualifying offer doesn’t necessarily mean she will return to the Sky. Evans was a trade candidate halfway through last season and received moderate interest. The Sky could give her a qualifying offer, knowing they could potentially package her in a sign-and-trade.
Carter led the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game, but there are questions about her commitment to the team on the court and its culture off it. If the Sky don’t make Carter an offer, it would most likely be because they don’t want to commit to the one-year deal, preferring to see how free agency unfolds. But the Sky would be gambling that other teams won’t show significant interest in Carter as an unrestricted free agent.
Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca is aiming high in free agency and the trade market, specifically among guards, so the risk of losing Carter might be one he’s willing to take. Also, if the Sky don’t deal the No. 3 pick in the draft, they will likely select a guard. One way or another, their backcourt will be addressed this offseason, leaving questions about where Evans or Carter fit.
Teams have until Jan. 20 to extend qualifying offers.