The case for dealing the Sky’s No. 3 pick starts with Satou Sabally and ends with Jewell Loyd

WNBA general managers will have their work cut out for them in free agency this year — some more than others.

In anticipation of a new collective-bargaining agreement, most free agents will be signing one-year deals, limiting GMs’ sales pitches to what they can offer immediately. For the Sky, that means next to nothing.

Aside from first-year coach Tyler Marsh, who is well-regarded around the league because of his work as a player-development coach, GM Jeff Pagliocca is shopping a losing product. What Pagliocca does have is the No. 3 overall pick in the WNBA draft in the spring. If he can leverage it correctly, it might provide a bridge from the Sky’s disastrous season in 2024 back to playoff contention.

Considering that most free agents aren’t going to sign beyond the 2025 season, trading any draft pick — which comes with the security of a three-year deal with a team option for a fourth — has risks. Trading the No. 3 pick, which the Sky could use to select a player such as Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles, seems foolish.

The payoff, however, might be substantial.

The WNBA will experience something new when more than 100 players become free agents simultaneously in 2026, including all of the top veterans in the league. Ownership and Pagliocca must make decisions now to prove the Sky are a franchise worth signing with.

The Sky are expected to have a practice facility ready by the start of the 2026 season, which should help them compete with the upper-echelon teams in the league. The catch is that their facility is in partnership with Bedford Park. A portion of it will be shared with the public, unlike those of the Mercury and Aces, who built facilities operated solely by the team.

On Pagliocca’s end, being ready for next year means turning the Sky back into a playoff team now, which brings us back to the possibility of trading the No. 3 pick. The Sky need veteran leadership, a point guard and a legitimate outside scoring threat. While they potentially could find those things without a trade, two players worth packaging the No. 3 pick for are Wings forward Satou Sabally and Storm guard Jewell Loyd.

There is an understanding around the league that Sabally will be on the move after the Wings make her a core player this weekend, when GMs can begin sending out qualifying offers and core tags. What’s unclear is where she’ll end up. The Sky’s chances of landing Sabally are slim, but the No. 3 pick opens the door to a potential conversation with Wings GM Curt Miller.

The Fever are the most intriguing prospective landing spot for Sabally, considering the lineup they already have in place. If the Fever’s front office is able to re-sign guard Kelsey Mitchell and secure Sabally, the team would become a title contender overnight.

Another possibility for Sabally might be joining her sister, Nyara, with the Liberty.

Landing Loyd also would be an uphill battle for Pagliocca. Last year, the Niles West graduate told the Sun-Times: ‘‘[The Sky] are just one step away. Just one step. And the thing is, you want to root for them.’’

Loyd’s past lack of interest in the Sky was a result of a lack of investment by their ownership. Getting her to consider them now will require ownership to prove it is committed to being a top-tier franchise.

If the Sky can do that, Pagliocca has a shot of putting together a deal that brings Loyd back to Chicago. But it would leave him without the No. 3 pick.

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