Times are changing for Sky guard Sydney Taylor.
The 25-year-old entered the league as a relative unknown, signing a one-year minimum contract with the Sky. One breakout season later, she’s in line for a much bigger payday.
Not bad 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. Exactly how much she’ll earn and how long she’ll sign for are the open questions.
The good news for Sky fans: she told the Sun-Times on Thursday that she 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 an even better opportunity for the Sky. Bringing Taylor to training camp was one of their most rewarding personnel decisions in years. She ranks third among rookies in scoring at 13.8 points per game.
Once she worked her way into the starting lineup, Taylor 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.
There aren’t many great shooting guards in the league. Taylor has a chance to become one of them.
All of this means the Sky will want to lock her in as part of a young core with Rickea Jackson, Kamilla Cardoso and Gabriela Jaquez. It’s encouraging that Taylor is on board with that vision.
“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 3-on-3 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 speed to the basket. 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 World Cup 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 be on a minutes restriction during the final week of the regular season.
That gives her four more games to cap off a life-changing season.