Morgan Maly knew the opportunity might come. She just didn’t tell her parents about it.
So when the Sky called to sign her to a development contract, Mom and Dad were shocked initially, then thrilled.
Maly started packing right away. She’d gotten a sense a couple of weeks earlier that the Sky might be interested, but she didn’t want her parents bugging her about it.
At the time, the former Creighton standout was at home in Nebraska, preparing to return to her overseas team in Greece.
Instead, the 24-year-old guard/forward is getting another shot at the WNBA.
This is Maly’s third crack at the league since graduating from Creighton in 2025. She was cut from the Sun’s training camp roster that year, then spent this preseason with the Mercury.
Her three-point shooting jumped out to the Sky’s staff. Maly left Creighton as the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers, then shot 36.6% from deep on 6.6 attempts per game last season in Greece.
“They want me to stretch the floor and provide a perimeter presence from the bigs group,” Maly told the Sun-Times.
With only seven games remaining, her goals are simple: learn, adapt and be where her feet are. She wants to contribute with her shooting while continuing to develop defensively.
Overall, though, it’s an opportunity to get her foot in the door.
Teams retain the rights to their development players, meaning a strong impression over the final few weeks could give Maly another shot at making the Sky roster next spring.
A few workouts in, Maly is still learning coach Tyler Marsh’s system, but she’s confident about picking it up.
“It reminds me of college in a way that there’s a primary action that you always get into, and after that you’re making reads based on where the ball goes, what actions work best with the personnel involved,” she said.
Off the floor, Maly considers herself a foodie and plans to explore the Chicago restaurants she’s seen on TikTok.
Leaving the door open
At this point, there isn’t much incentive for Skylar Diggins to rush back from a knee injury with the playoffs all but out of reach. But the Sky haven’t officially shut her down for the season.
Marsh said Diggins has resumed on-court work, including light shooting, and is progressing toward live action.
If she is intent on returning this season, the upcoming FIBA break gives her additional time. The WNBA pauses from Aug. 31 through Sept. 18.
Diggins hasn’t played since early July, when she posted on Instagram after being benched and publicly aired frustrations with the organization.
She has since said she and Marsh have had productive conversations and that her rehab is progressing.
Foot notes
DiJonai Carrington also did not play against the Valkyries. Carrington missed practice Thursday and Friday because of soreness in her left foot, the same injury that she was rehabbing for most of the season.
Carrington is averaging 10 points off the bench since returning from injury, though she is shooting a team-worst 34% from the field.
Marsh is hopeful she will be available Sunday against the Fever. When the teams met earlier this month, Carrington was ejected for a flagrant foul on Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.