{"id":292273,"date":"2025-11-15T01:50:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T01:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/292273\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T01:50:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T01:50:14","slug":"manifesting-a-top-pick-for-the-sky-in-the-2026-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/292273\/","title":{"rendered":"Manifesting a top pick for the Sky in the 2026 draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you believe in miracles? How about manifesting outcomes? Let\u2019s try it together, Sky<\/a> fans. Picture the pingpong balls popping. The first combination is drawn. A league employee calls out: \u201cWith the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft \u2026 the Chicago Sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, the league announced the Sky have a little less than 6% odds of this coming true.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we\u2019re manifesting, not doing the math.<\/p>\n

While manifesting, bring the Dallas Mavericks to mind. They won the last NBA draft lottery with 1.8% odds \u2014 an even bigger long shot than the Sky. That moment brought redemption. A glimmer of hope for a fan base that just watched the team trade away its 25-year-old superstar, Luka Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n

Sky fans: you\u2019ve lived through your fair share of heartbreak, too. Who\u2019s to say the Basketball Gods aren\u2019t watching out for you?<\/p>\n

So just picture it for a moment. Suspend disbelief and imagine the Sky get lucky with a top-two pick. There are some tantalizing prospects, starting with TCU point guard Olivia Miles.<\/p>\n

As Sky star Angel Reese made clear<\/a> at the end of last season, the team has a lot of needs to fill \u2014 and ballhandling is at the top of the list.<\/p>\n

Miles fits the bill. If you\u2019ve never seen her play, think \u201cPoint Gawd\u201d Chelsea Gray. Miles whips passes behind her head, shoots confidently from deep, and controls the game with real poise. She averaged 15 points and six assists on 40% shooting from 3 as a senior at Notre Dame, then transferred to TCU this season for her final year of NCAA eligibility.<\/p>\n

As the Sky\u2019s dismal 2025 campaign came to a close, Reese got in big trouble<\/a> for saying the Sky need somebody younger at point guard.<\/p>\n

But everyone knows it\u2019s true. Thirty-six-year-old Courtney Vandersloot likely won\u2019t be recovered from her ACL injury until a month into the 2026 season, and Hailey Van Lith clearly needs more time to develop.<\/p>\n

Miles would be an impact player right away.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d also give Sky fans something they\u2019ve missed since the Vanderquigs era: an intra-team power couple. Miles stopped by Wintrust Arena last summer to support her girlfriend \u2014 former Notre Dame teammate and Sky forward Maddy Westbeld.<\/p>\n

Manifest that match!<\/p>\n

Miles might be the most exciting American prospect, but there\u2019s an even more intriguing player across the pond.<\/p>\n

She has the complete WNBA center package: low-post footwork, pick-and-roll skill, and shot blocking feel. Her name is Awa Fam, and she\u2019s succeeding professionally already.<\/p>\n

At EuroBasket 2025, she led Spain to the final with 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks against France in the semifinal. And she\u2019s only 19.<\/p>\n

Still, Sky fans may wonder whether the team needs another young post player who doesn\u2019t really shoot 3s. Since the 2024 draft, the Sky\u2019s moves have mostly been aimed at complementing their twin towers: Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.<\/p>\n

But with the 2026 draft approaching, both have only two years left on their rookie deals.<\/p>\n

Restocking the cupboard with post players might not be a bad idea \u2014 just in case either Reese or Cardoso declines to make Chicago a long-term home. While fans manifest, a little thoughtful hedging from the front office wouldn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n

Now the big question: Even if the Basketball Gods smile on Chicago, would players like Fam or Miles be enough to change the Sky\u2019s trajectory? To vault them to the top \u2014 or at least the middle \u2014 of the league?<\/p>\n

That depends on all the other unknowns<\/a>: if Reese reconciles, if star free agent Ariel Atkins re-signs, if Vandersloot returns to form.<\/p>\n

And if probabilities prevail over hope? Then the league better watch out. After drafting phenom Paige Bueckers first last season, the Wings once again have the best odds of the No. 1 pick.<\/p>\n

Back-to-back first picks have changed franchises before.<\/p>\n

Think of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston in Indiana, drafted first in 2023 and 2022. Or A\u2019ja Wilson and Jackie Young in Las Vegas, drafted first in 2018 and 2019.<\/p>\n

Actually, you know what, Sky fans \u2014 maybe it\u2019s best to think about something else.<\/p>\n

Odds of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft:<\/p>\n

Dallas Wings: 42%
Minnesota Lynx (from Sky): 26.1%. Note: When Sky traded up for Reese in the 2024 draft, it cost them a 2026 pick swap with the Lynx. That bill has come due.
Seattle Storm (from Sparks): 16.7%
Washington Mystics: 9.7%
Chicago Sky (from Sun): 5.5%. Note: the Sky gained this pick through a combination of trades with Mercury and Sun, having traded away Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey in 2024.<\/p>\n

ESPN will broadcast the draft lottery on Nov. 23 at 5:30 p.m. CT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Do you believe in miracles? How about manifesting outcomes? Let\u2019s try it together, Sky fans. Picture the pingpong…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":{"0":"post-292273","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-sports","9":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}