ATLANTA — On Tuesday night, the plug appeared to be pulled on the Sky’s 2024 season.
Rather, another sweep of injury news is threatening to force it from the socket. After being listed as questionable 24 hours before the Sky’s game against the Dream, Kamilla Cardoso was officially ruled out with a shoulder injury before tipoff. Chennedy Carter, ruled out with a foot injury, was a surprisingly late addition to the Sky’s injury report 30 minutes ahead of game time.
Cardoso’s and Carter’s absences left the Sky with just eight available players in their 86-70 loss to the Dream.
“Everybody’s availability will be critical [on Thursday,]” Weatherspoon said. “A lot of our team is sitting on the sideline.”
Weatherspoon was unsure if Cardoso and Carter would be available on Thursday.
Cardoso, Carter and Angel Reese, the Sky’s three missing starters, account for 44 of the Sky’s 76.4 points per game in their 14 games since the Olympic break ahead of Tuesday.
Sky guard Rachel Banham led the team with 22 points, shooting 6-for-10 from three. Lindsay Allen added 16 points and Brianna Turner finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
The Sky’s playoff life is hanging by a thread following Tuesday’s loss and the Mystics’ loss to the Liberty. The only way for the Sky to secure the eighth seed is with a win Thursday against the Sun and a Mystics loss to the Fever and a Dream loss to the Liberty.
Over the last 12 seasons, the Sky have missed the playoffs twice, in 2017 and 2018 under coach Amber Stocks. As a result, the Sky were able to draft forward Gabby Williams with the No. 4 overall pick in 2018 and Katie Lou Samuelson at No. 4 in 2019. They also acquired the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft via a trade with the Dream and used it to select Diamond DeShields.
Over the next four seasons, former coach/general manager James Wade built a championship-caliber team and these picks played a significant role, whether as players on the roster or in the trades he executed. The Sky are once again in a similar position in terms of having two first-round picks in Cardoso and Angel Reese to build around and a potential lottery pick on the line.
“I will never acknowledge [the lottery,]” Weatherspoon said. “Until the last horn sounds.”
Regardless of whether the Sky end up in the lottery they will have two picks in the 2025 draft — their own and the Sun’s — as a result of the Marina Mabrey trade. If the Sky finish eighth they will have the No. 5 pick in the 2025 draft plus the Sun’s which would No. 10.
Jeff Pagliocca will have over $1 million in cap space to work with in the new year with just five players under contract heading into the 2025 season: Cardoso, Reese, Lindsay Allen, Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson.
Carter is a restricted free agent, meaning the Sky will have the right of first refusal in free agency. In her fourth season, Carter’s firmly cemented that she belongs in the WNBA. Whether or not that’s with the Sky will depend on multiple factors, namely who Pagliocca can land in free agency.
It’s unclear at this point how much the announcement of their practice facility — expected to be available to players in 2026 — will help matters. The team has not broken ground yet.
Pagliocca’s short tenure has already indicated his affinity for trades. So, even if the Sky land a lottery pick, Pagliocca could end up packaging it for the right veteran player. After 39 games this season, the Sky’s desperate need for perimeter scoring is abundantly clear.