The Chicago Sky are being aggressive ahead of the 2025 WNBA Draft as they look to build around franchise cornerstones Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The franchise is coming off a rebuilding season that saw its five-year playoff snapped. Nevertheless, the future is bright for the Sky, and this organization clearly wants to make itself a contender as soon as possible.

Because of that drive, the Sky announced on Sunday that they have traded for the Minnesota Lynx's No. 11 overall pick. Minnesota originally had the right to swap picks with Chicago in the first round of the 2026 Draft due to a previous trade last year. Now, in exchange for this deal, The Lynx will own both first-round picks for that draft. Sky General Manager Jeff Pagliocca revealed his motivation for this deal in a public statement.

“We believe the 2025 draft class is deep, and we’re excited about the flexibility we obtain by acquiring another first-round pick this year. The No. 11 pick represents another route to improve our roster.”

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There are plenty of directions that the organization can take with this selection. Leading scorer Chennedy Carter is gone now, meaning that the Sky need some scoring firepower at the guard/wing positions. TCU star point guard Hailey Van Lith could be a great addition alongside Courtney Vandersloot in the backcourt. While Van Lith seamlessly adapted to the point guard position in Fort Worth, she's also capable of being a viable off-ball threat.

Other options at this pick include Alabama's Sarah Ashlee Barker and NC State's Saniya Rivers. If the Sky decide to go the guard route, they will have an opportunity to form their backcourt of the future alongside Reese and Cardoso. It's clear Pagliocca has a plan going into this draft if he's willing to be this aggressive and trade up.

Overall, Chicago Sky fans should be very excited about the upcoming season. There will surely be growing pains over the next few months, but the franchise is building itself up the right way with an All-Star caliber core. Reese is already coming off a record-setting rookie season, and now, she will have plenty more talent and experience around her. The expectation for the Sky heading into 2025 is to return to the postseason, and depending on how this team gels, who knows how high its ceiling is this season and in the long run.