The Sky have some urgency to free agency

WNBA free agency officially begins Jan. 21, and it will be a significant one for the Sky.

What’s at stake? Nothing other than the future of the franchise’s highly touted new era, which stands to be defined by whatever is executed — or not executed — by the new regime. For the first time in the Sky’s 18 seasons, the team has an individual general manager — Jeff Pagliocca — calling the shots.

A quick refresher: Pagliocca was promoted to GM in October after a four-month stint as the team’s director of skill development but not before the Sky named Teresa Weatherspoon the coach.

On Thursday, teams began extending qualifying offers to earmark certain free agents as reserved — a player can only negotiate with their previous team unless released — and restricted — a player can talk or negotiate openly with any team, but their previous team has the right of first refusal. If qualifying offers aren’t extended, those players will become unrestricted — free to negotiate with any team — on Jan. 21.

A guide to the Sky’s free agency, starting with a list of the team’s free agents:

Rebekah Gardner, Reserved

Gardner is a product of former Sky coach/GM James Wade’s overseas scouting. The UCLA grad spent 10 years playing overseas, earning a reputation as a relentless two-way guard before turning a training-camp contract into a solidified roster spot in 2022. The Sky were tested by injuries last season, but arguably none more impactful than the loss of Gardner, who broke her foot less than a month into the season. Expect a fully healthy Gardner to re-sign with the Sky.

Ruthy Hebard, Restricted

Hebard is the only draft pick by Wade who was not waived or moved over the course of his 4½-year tenure with the franchise. In four seasons, Hebard has played a limited role as a result of a deep, veteran frontcourt that, over the years, has included Candace Parker, Emma Meesseman, Stefanie Dolson, Astou Ndour and Azura Stevens. Hebard’s future in Chicago likely will be contingent upon whether or not the Sky are able to add a star to their frontcourt in free agency.

Morgan Bertsch and Robyn Parks, Reserved

Both Bertsch and Parks provided worthwhile minutes for the Sky in 2023 after being brought in on training-camp contracts by Wade. Look for both to find homes on other training-camp rosters in 2024.

Courtney Williams, Unrestricted

Williams proved to be Wade’s most significant signing during his last free-agency period. During a season in flux, Williams was a capable point guard and played a pivotal role in the team narrowly securing its fifth consecutive postseason appearance. She finished fourth in the league in assists per game, averaging 6.3, and accounted for two of the 14 triple-doubles recorded in the WNBA last season. Williams told the Sun-Times that her future in…