The last six months have been wild for WNBA fans, as free agency and end-of-season shenanigans have not disappointed. However, it hasn’t all been fun and games for particular league franchises. The Washington Mystics could not retain Natasha Cloud and Elena Delle Donne, which is a pretty substantial loss for a team that will most likely no longer make the playoffs.
But I’d argue the Chicago Skys timetable and losses have been much worse. At the beginning of last month, all of the team’s starting lineup from the 2021 Championship-winning team, except Kahleah Copper, had left. Additionally, most of the coaching staff, including head coach James Wade, had left. But that was okay, as free agency was for the taking, and the Sky were rumored to be in talks to land some pretty big names. However, there was never any positive movement or big names. At the end of the day, Chicago was left with an upset fanbase.
All the team had was Copper, the fan-favorite, household name, and proud Chicagoan — until they didn’t. Here’s a timeline of what happened.
The Kahleah Copper Example
“Chicago has been everything I could’ve asked for and more over the past seven seasons,” Copper said in a press release. This is where I’ve grown as a player and a person, and I’m proud to say I’ve become one with this community.”
October 24th, 2023: During a press conference, the Sky introduces Teresa Weatherspoon as their new Head Coach at Wintrust Arena.
Weatherspoon speaks alongside Co-Owner & Operating Chairman of the Sky, Nadia Rawlinson, and Copper.
“Beyond the accolades, you’re an amazing person, and someone that I can really relate to and someone that I want to really give all that you deserve. So I’m proud to be here and a part of this organization,” Copper said at the press conference, talking to Weatherspoon.
February 6th: The Sky trades Copper to the Phoenix Mercury for draft stock and rotation players.
Copper was surprised to find out about the trade.
Yes, you read that right. After selling Cop’ as the face of the franchise, she was traded unexpectedly for draft stock and rotation players.
The WNBA’s Free Agency issue
The WNBA has an issue with free agency, as currently, it just throws players around like they’re inanimate objects. Not only is this a huge issue, but additionally, within it, it’s hugely unpredictable. Unlike other popular sports leagues, like the NBA, there aren’t really destination cities for players. In the WNBA, front offices can present the best offer to other front offices. In a 12-team league, how is it fair that four teams each off-season automatically book themselves into the conference championships via money dished out from front offices? This makes us look forward to the WNBA’s expansion, which is just beginning. Here, you’re forced to examine the playing field and how competition is divided.
Currently, before the season has even begun, it’s clear which teams will make a run and which teams have no shot. You don’t have to be a fan to recognize that, either. Take a look at New York and Las Vegas, the teams that faced off in the finals last year. Not only have they retained their championship or near-championship-level rosters, but they’ve also improved them by paying for players. Then you have on-the-rise organizations like Seattle and Phoenix. In Seattle, the Storm approached the post-Sue-Bird era by relying on Jewel Loyd. This offseason, they have used their draft picks to acquire two big names to help them join talks of potential final appearances.
In Phoenix, they’re rallying to build a team around Diana Taurasi, one of the greatest point guards of all time who’s rapidly approaching retirement. They’ve added Cloud, as mentioned earlier, and Copper, which has similarly put them in championship talks. Atlanta has potential, and so does Minnesota, but the rest of the league is stuck watching and waiting for their time to be among the ‘top four.’
The Issue of Expansion
So, the reality is WNBA expansion can’t solve this problem and that it might actually worsen this issue. Growing the league in itself supports players, yes, as it helps create access to the league and so much more. However, how is the league supposed to support players in a larger setting if it cannot hit the bare minimum points currently? Players are being bought, with many being turned over in an endless cycle of passing ‘product’ between teams. Front offices don’t seem to care about this institutional uproot that has been in place for the last handful of years.
How can you trust to get bigger if, at your core, players aren’t happy and teams are already unfairly balanced?
You can’t.
So what now? How do you fix this? I’m not sure that it can be fixed fully, but to start with, the league can do more to protect players from unsuspecting trades by watching front offices close. Additionally, the league can look at travel and begin to make substantial changes and progress. After initial issues arose, the WNBA announced for the 2023 season that they would be expanding availability for charter flights to games outside of just the WNBA Finals and the Commissioners Cup Championship.
However, this availability just expanded to playoff games and regular season games played back-to-back. Outside of this, the issue is almost out of the league’s control, as front offices with more power are always going to act as they please. Copper is one of a handful this offseason and certainly won’t be the last.
These newsletters will run bi-weekly and will hold conversations on different information surrounding the world of basketball.
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Trinity Rea is a second-year student studying sports journalism along with women and gender studies at Ball State University. She works at the Ball State Daily News as an associate news editor. In this role, she focuses on storytelling within the community. Along with this, Trinity also writes for the sports section and showcases stories behind the athletes. Outside of her love for sports and writing, she likes to listen to music, read, and hang out with her friends.
Contact Trinity Rea with questions at trinityrea@ymail.com or on X @thetrinityrea
