The Sky, like most of the WNBA, are in a strange position as they await the deluge of players who will hit free agency after this season.
A startling 105 of the 132 players in the league before the draft Monday have structured their contracts to hit the market in 2026 in hope of a spike in salaries with a new collective bargaining agreement being negotiated. That pool includes 20 players who made the All-Star team last season.
So for the best teams, this is the time to go all-in and make the most of their roster before running the risk of stars leaving. For rebuilding teams like the Sky, there’s more of a holding pattern.
Their best course is to build with eye on 2026, and their draft picks Monday somewhat reflected that thinking. They chose Slovenian forward Ajsa Sivka at No. 10, though general manager Jeff Pagliocca wasn’t fully certain she would come stateside this year, and No. 11 pick Hailey Van Lith likely will need time to adapt to the pros at either point or shooting guard.
That makes this a crucial season in the Sky’s rebuild. They put pillars in place last year by drafting forward Angel Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso, both of whom are under rookie contracts through 2027, and need to fill out the core around them in order to be on ideal footing as they venture into the loaded free-agent class next year.
“We want to set a level of expectation for a championship standard and work from there,” coach Tyler Marsh said about the team’s trajectory. “I can’t give you a true timeline. The timeline for us is continued growth … and being as competitive of a team as possible.”
Van Lith will be on the court immediately and will have some help as she rides out a potentially rocky rookie season. She has on- and off-court chemistry with Reese from playing together at LSU in 2023-24 and described them as good friends and cohesive players.
Van Lith began her college career as a shooting guard at Louisville and was an instant starter. She helped the Cardinals reach the Elite Eight twice and the Final Four once, then transferred to LSU and moved to point guard.
She was eligible for a fifth collegiate season and transferred to TCU, reaching the Elite Eight for the fifth time. In all, she had two seasons averaging 17.9 points or more, two shooting at least 36% from three-point range and three as an all-conference pick.
“There’s no complacency there in terms of what her improvement and potential can be,” Marsh said. “There’s a lot to like about where she is now as a player and a whole lot to love about where she can be moving forward.”
The Sky felt similarly about Sivka, and Pagliocca made clear he would love to have her on the team right away rather than defer her rookie season to next year. If she plays for Slovenia in the FIBA Eurobasket tournament, it’s possible the Sky might not get her in their system before July.
Nonetheless, Pagliocca was enthusiastic about what the Sky envision for her in the long term. Sivka is 6-foot-4 and already a strong outside shooter, giving the team a versatile piece for its future.
“Imagine that girl two, three, four years from now and how special she might be,” he said. “At that size, looking throughout our league, as far as her mobility and her ability to shoot the ball and shoot as quickly as she does, there’s just not a lot of them, so it was too hard to pass up.”
While this draft wasn’t a landmark night like when they landed Reese and Cardoso, it could prove substantial down the road. Like everything else for the Sky at the moment, it’ll take time.
