The Chicago Sky are going to have a much different look in 2025. An up-and-coming team that lost out on a playoff berth on the final day of the 2024 season, the Sky responded to that near-miss by firing first-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon — a move that was unpopular with the team’s emerging franchise player, Angel Reese. Replacing Weatherspoon is former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh, who will have to contend with the loss of his top scorer from last season.
The Sky have made it clear that guard Chennedy Carter will not be on their roster next season, despite watching her put up a team-high 17.5 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting from the floor. There has been speculation that Reese has somehow maneuvered to ensure that Carter would not be her teammate following the tumultuous end to Chicago‘s 2024 season; Reese herself has not commented on such speculation, but a national WNBA reporter has a different take on the situation which may absolve the “Chi-town Barbie“.
Carter wrote her own ticket out of Chicago
WNBA reporter Maitreyi Anantharaman told “The Ringer WNBA Show” that Carter’s own baggage — rather than Reese’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering — is why the former top-five pick is entering free agency, where she will be able to sign with any team from February on.
“I just do think that she is a great WNBA player and really talented, but there are just fewer places for her to go,” Anantharaman said. “Everyone knows each other, and that could be a great thing, but it can also be a bad thing if you’re looking for a fresh start. Word travels fast.”
Carter received significant negative coverage last season for an off-the-ball shove on Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark, whose entry into the WNBA last season came with a ton of fanfare and renewed attention for the league. The shove was in the news cycle for weeks, even as all parties moved on from it quickly; more worrying for Carter is that the incident followed a suspension for conduct detrimental to the Atlanta Dream in 2021 and a benching for poor conduct while she played for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022.
But as Carter moves on to what will be her fourth WNBA franchise, the former Texas A&M star has “reminded” Reese through a social media post to keep things simple in the paint and score in the most efficient way possible as Chicago undergoes another overhaul in 2025.