It has been a disappointing season thus far for the Chicago Sky as they currently sit 10th in the WNBA standings with a 13-22 record.
Of course, the Sky entered the season looking to bounce back from last year’s struggles, and while their 2026 campaign has been better than 2025, Chicago appears to be well away from being a championship contender.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
With the Sky in rebuild mode, they have created a solid young core led by Kamilla Cardoso, Sydney Taylor, Rickea Jackson and Gabriela Jaquez and they also have some key veteran pieces in Skylar Diggins, DiJonai Carrington and Natasha Cloud.
Another young piece of Chicago’s core was Maddy Westbeld, though the team made a key decision regarding the former 2nd-round pick’s future with the franchise Tuesday.
Sky Elect to Not Match Mercury’s Offer Sheet for Maddy Westbeld
According to the WNBA transaction report, the Phoenix Mercury tendered an offer sheet to Westbeld Monday and it was announced Tuesday that the Sky elected not to match their offer sheet, allowing her to sign a rest-of-season contract with the Mercury.
This is a major decision by the Sky regarding one of their key players as Westbeld will now head to Phoenix where she could have a larger role.
Of course, the Sky selected Westbeld 16th overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft and she played a key role in her rookie season last year as she averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 36.2% from the field and 39.5% from three.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
It has been a completely different story this season as the 24-year-old forward has played only three games thus far this season.
After their decision regarding Westbeld’s future with the franchise, the Sky made a post on X thanking her for her time with the team.
“Thank you Maddy. Wishing you the best in your next chapter,” the Sky posted on X.
Now Westbeld will join the Mercury where she could become a key young piece of their future as they try to turn things around, and she may also have a larger role than she did in Chicago.
