



When it comes to the Sky’s approach to WNBA free agency, there are targets, then there’s the only one who matters.
Six-time All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith is the latter, and there is a strong case to be made that supports the likelihood of her future being in Chicago.
Right off the bat, four teams can be eliminated from the Diggins-Smith sweepstakes: the Aces, Liberty, Mercury and Wings.
Diggins-Smith, who grew up in South Bend and played college ball at Notre Dame, is active on social media and has fully engaged with fans about her landing spot. When someone brought up the idea of signing with the Liberty, her response — asking whether she would be expected to come off the bench — points to why that wouldn’t be a fit.
The Liberty and Aces, who squared off in the Finals last season, have solidified backcourts that don’t need tweaking.
In 2020, Diggins-Smith was part of a sign-and-trade deal that sent her from the Wings to the Mercury, for whom she played three seasons before missing the 2023 season while on maternity leave. In an interview with Edition by Modern Luxury, Diggins-Smith spoke about her goals for her return to the court. She opened up about her past teams not fully supporting her decision to have children while playing.
‘‘I’ve definitely been working toward trying to have one of my most productive years next year because I think a lot of times — especially in sports — you’re not encouraged to have kids,’’ Diggins-Smith said. ‘‘And the teams that I played for in the past, when I got pregnant, didn’t like that. And so I’m looking forward to being somewhere where my family and I are supported and welcomed.’’
The Sky need to make strides to match the world-class player environments established by franchises such as the Aces, Liberty, Storm and Mercury, but supporting their players in motherhood is not one of the areas they have botched in recent years.
Three more teams can be ruled out based on their needs: the Sparks, Fever and Storm.
The Sparks are in the market for a reliable backup point guard, assuming they re-sign Jordin Canada and Jasmine Thomas. After signing Jewell Loyd to an extension, the Storm’s needs in the frontcourt are their priority. Meanwhile, the Fever own the first overall pick in the draft and are all but guaranteed to select Iowa star Caitlin Clark if she opts not to return to college for her COVID year.
Diggins-Smith also indicated a future with the Fever is unlikely, telling a fan, ‘‘They don’t think so,’’ in response to a post on X that said the Fever needed her.
This leaves five teams in real need of a point guard: the Sun, Dream, Lynx, Mystics and Sky.
Of the other four teams, the Dream pose the biggest threat to the Sky’s hopes of signing Diggins-Smith. They have one of the most dynamic wing combos in the league in Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, along with All-Star forward Cheyenne Parker. Adding Diggins-Smith could move them into title contention, and they would be able to offer her a max contract.
The Sky haven’t announced their plans for the development of the practice facility they’ve been touting since last season, but it’ll be a selling point they stress in free agency.
What the Sky have on their side is an established connection between coach Teresa Weatherspoon and Diggins-Smith, proximity to her hometown and the ability to offer her a max contract. Time will tell whether that’s enough.