The Chicago Sky entered the 2025 WNBA Draft with high hopes and four selections, but just one year later, none of those players remain on the roster. It's a stunning reversal that highlights the franchise's ongoing struggles to rebuild after their 2021 championship.

General manager Jeff Pagliocca thought he had struck gold with a four-player haul: Ajsa Sivka (No. 10), Hailey Van Lith (No. 11), Maddy Westbeld (No. 16), and Aicha Coulibaly (No. 22). Sivka, a teenage sharpshooter from Slovenia, headlined the class after impressive stints in Italy and France. Van Lith brought NCAA tournament experience from LSU and TCU, while Westbeld and Coulibaly added depth.

But by the 2026 season, all four had departed—either waived, traded, or failing to make the final cut. It's a stark contrast to 2024, when the Sky drafted Angel Reese, who became an instant star and one of the league's best players before being traded to the Atlanta Dream in a deal that brought back a relatively modest return.

The 2025 draft class struggles are part of a larger pattern. The Sky also traded away the No. 3 pick in that draft—used to select Sonia Citron—to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Ariel Atkins. Citron went on to become an All-Star as a rookie, while Atkins was dealt to the Los Angeles Sparks after just one season in Chicago.

For a franchise that once stood atop the WNBA, the 2025 draft now serves as a cautionary tale—a reminder that even the best-laid plans can unravel when the right pieces don't fit. For fans and collectors, it's also a reminder of how quickly the league's landscape can shift, and why staying agile is just as important as drafting well.