The Chicago Sky are mired in another uncomfortable midseason conundrum after guard Skylar Diggins spent a third consecutive game sidelined with a knee injury.
Last week, Diggins vocalized a litany of frustrations with the Sky — ranging from her move to the bench to recovery resources to end-of-game management by coach Tyler Marsh — before suddenly being added to the injury report.
Diggins’ absence from the court and the Sky’s ongoing lack of success seemed to set the table for an early fissure midway through the first season of her two-year deal. But despite the recent discomfort between the sides, league sources say the Sky front office is not currently shopping Diggins in a potential deadline trade.
The Sky stand 13th in the 15-team league at 7-16 after fumbling a fourth-quarter lead Sunday in a loss to the Dallas Wings. With the trade deadline looming Aug. 2, they clearly need to make a move.
General manager Jeff Pagliocca prefers to remain active during all trade windows, which has resulted in a flood of moves over the past three seasons that included trading away star players Kahleah Copper, Marina Mabrey and Angel Reese. That pattern could continue this summer — but with three weeks left until that window closes, Diggins is not currently a focal point of any trade effort.
Still, the uncertainty surrounding Diggins poses a serious concern for the Sky. She was one of the centerpieces of the team’s offseason overhaul, which included the acquisitions of Rickea Jackson, Azurá Stevens, DiJonai Carrington and Jacy Sheldon. But injuries quickly eroded any lofty plans for the Sky, who gave up significant draft capital — including their first-round pick in 2028 — to piece together this roster.
Jackson went down with a torn ACL four games into the regular season. Carrington still has not returned from a foot injury. And Diggins has been playing through significant discomfort in her right knee, an effect of surgery in October.
The Sky were aware of the surgery when they signed Diggins and instituted a load-management policy for the veteran guard in the preseason, which included limiting her practice time. Diggins continued to follow a load-management schedule in the regular season, which lightly reduced her involvement in practices and shootarounds to preserve her longevity.
But Diggins also has logged a team-high 29.1 minutes per game, a workload that took its toll as the season moved on.
When guard Courtney Vandersloot returned from a yearlong recovery from a torn ACL, Marsh finally had the opportunity to rotate Diggins and offer a playing-time reprieve. But Diggins rankled at the July 6 decision to pull her out of the starting lineup, blasting the move on social media and doubling down during an ensuing media availability in Phoenix.
In that media session, Diggins voiced heavy criticism of the Sky’s lack of training resources due to significant delays in the completion of the team’s new facility in Bedford Park. She alluded to the fact she was playing through an injury, adding that she wanted to “take a step back and see what’s going on to see if I need to continue to make those sacrifices.”
The Sky held out Diggins as a late scratch against the Mercury the following day. She hasn’t played since July 3, missing a total of three games. The Sky still consider her day to day, but her absence reflects a growing tension between her needs as a veteran and the team’s rapidly devolving chances of competing this season.
One aspect of the Sky’s reluctance to trade Diggins is practicality. She isn’t a particularly malleable trade asset. Her skill set as an on-ball point guard necessitates a team to operate with a specific style and personnel to make the fit work. And as a 35-year-old on one of the final contracts of her career, her two-year, $1.86 million deal would be a difficult sell for many teams attempting to remain nimble under the newly restrictive salary cap. A lingering knee injury only complicates the situation.
The Sky also follow a pattern of attempting to place players in their preferred situations, which would further complicate any attempt at a trade. It’s clear that Diggins prefers not to come off the bench, even when she is playing through an injury. Several teams — including the Mercury and Seattle Storm — likely would be nonstarters due to her history with both organizations.
Even if the Sky front office changes course, moving Diggins would be a massive undertaking — and unlikely to recoup the assets necessary to salvage the 2026 season or take major strides in 2027. For now, the Sky must stay the course, even if it means navigating a tumultuous relationship with a former starter.
