Do you believe in miracles? How about manifesting outcomes? Let’s try it together, Sky fans. Picture the pingpong balls popping. The first combination is drawn. A league employee calls out: “With the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft … the Chicago Sky.”
Last week, the league announced the Sky have a little less than 6% odds of this coming true.
That’s why we’re manifesting, not doing the math.
While manifesting, bring the Dallas Mavericks to mind. They won the last NBA draft lottery with 1.8% odds — an even bigger long shot than the Sky. That moment brought redemption. A glimmer of hope for a fan base that just watched the team trade away its 25-year-old superstar, Luka Dončić.
Sky fans: you’ve lived through your fair share of heartbreak, too. Who’s to say the Basketball Gods aren’t watching out for you?
So just picture it for a moment. Suspend disbelief and imagine the Sky get lucky with a top-two pick. There are some tantalizing prospects, starting with TCU point guard Olivia Miles.
As Sky star Angel Reese made clear at the end of last season, the team has a lot of needs to fill — and ballhandling is at the top of the list.
Miles fits the bill. If you’ve never seen her play, think “Point Gawd” Chelsea Gray. Miles whips passes behind her head, shoots confidently from deep, and controls the game with real poise. She averaged 15 points and six assists on 40% shooting from 3 as a senior at Notre Dame, then transferred to TCU this season for her final year of NCAA eligibility.
As the Sky’s dismal 2025 campaign came to a close, Reese got in big trouble for saying the Sky need somebody younger at point guard.
But everyone knows it’s true. Thirty-six-year-old Courtney Vandersloot likely won’t be recovered from her ACL injury until a month into the 2026 season, and Hailey Van Lith clearly needs more time to develop.
Miles would be an impact player right away.
She’d also give Sky fans something they’ve missed since the Vanderquigs era: an intra-team power couple. Miles stopped by Wintrust Arena last summer to support her girlfriend — former Notre Dame teammate and Sky forward Maddy Westbeld.
Manifest that match!
Miles might be the most exciting American prospect, but there’s an even more intriguing player across the pond.
She has the complete WNBA center package: low-post footwork, pick-and-roll skill, and shot blocking feel. Her name is Awa Fam, and she’s succeeding professionally already.
At EuroBasket 2025, she led Spain to the final with 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks against France in the semifinal. And she’s only 19.
Still, Sky fans may wonder whether the team needs another young post player who doesn’t really shoot 3s. Since the 2024 draft, the Sky’s moves have mostly been aimed at complementing their twin towers: Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
But with the 2026 draft approaching, both have only two years left on their rookie deals.
Restocking the cupboard with post players might not be a bad idea — just in case either Reese or Cardoso declines to make Chicago a long-term home. While fans manifest, a little thoughtful hedging from the front office wouldn’t hurt.
Now the big question: Even if the Basketball Gods smile on Chicago, would players like Fam or Miles be enough to change the Sky’s trajectory? To vault them to the top — or at least the middle — of the league?
That depends on all the other unknowns: if Reese reconciles, if star free agent Ariel Atkins re-signs, if Vandersloot returns to form.
And if probabilities prevail over hope? Then the league better watch out. After drafting phenom Paige Bueckers first last season, the Wings once again have the best odds of the No. 1 pick.
Back-to-back first picks have changed franchises before.
Think of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston in Indiana, drafted first in 2023 and 2022. Or A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young in Las Vegas, drafted first in 2018 and 2019.
Actually, you know what, Sky fans — maybe it’s best to think about something else.
Odds of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft:
- Dallas Wings: 42%
- Minnesota Lynx (from Sky): 26.1%. Note: When Sky traded up for Reese in the 2024 draft, it cost them a 2026 pick swap with the Lynx. That bill has come due.
- Seattle Storm (from Sparks): 16.7%
- Washington Mystics: 9.7%
- Chicago Sky (from Sun): 5.5%. Note: the Sky gained this pick through a combination of trades with Mercury and Sun, having traded away Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey in 2024.
ESPN will broadcast the draft lottery on Nov. 23 at 5:30 p.m. CT.