After four seasons with the Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne wants out.
December 17, 2016
What is it about Chicago and the WNBA? Why can’t Chicago keep their Star Players in the Windy City? Can’t blame it on the weather; the weather in Chicago in the summer is amazing! Violence? No issues ever reported. Winning? They played in the 2014 WNBA finals… So what is it? Delle Donne isn’t the first superstar to bolt from All-State’s empty arena. It started with Candice Dupree who left after four seasons with the Sky. Third pick Kristi Toliver was next to sever ties with the Sky after only a single season with the team. Epiphanny Prince was traded to the NY Liberty after five seasons with the Sky but she also wanted out. In 2015 Sylvia Fowles said she would rather NOT play in the WNBA than to play for the Chicago Sky and that she did until she was traded to the Minnesota Lynx. Now Delle Donne; Olympic champion, WNBA MVP, scoring leader and All-Star hinted at her desire to suit up for another WNBA team in the near future. In an interview with VICE SPORTS, Delle Donne said that she would come to a decision soon about where she wants to play next, and is prepared to sit out the 2017 season if necessary to facilitate a move to her preferred destination.
This has to be an eerie feeling for the Sky who dealt with the same issue in 2015 before dealing Fowles to the Minnesota Lynx. Delle Donne has the star power and the skills to make any team attempt to give up their entire roster for a chance to secure arguably the best forward in the WNBA. Will the Sky do like the Lakers did in 2007 when Kobe Bryant demanded to be traded? A deal never worked out and Bryant went on to win two more titles with the Lakers after bringing in Pau Gasol. Are the Sky simply one player away from winning a championship? At this point I don’t think that even matters. Delle Donne is out of Chicago.
“Some things will be moving forward for me,” Delle Donne said about the off-season ahead. “I’ve loved playing with my teammates. There’s a great group of young women there. And hopefully with Amber [Stocks, whom the Sky named head coach on Tuesday] and a new system, it’ll be great for them. But for me, wherever I end up, I’ll be ready to play basketball.”
Her words are already removed from what the Sky have going on. If this were the NBA it wouldn’t be such a huge deal but this is the WNBA and its rare that a player of this caliber changes teams. That has to be crushing to the Sky organization who have done everything in their power to make the Sky visible in Chicago and competitive in the league. However, something is missing and we want to know what it is. Players don’t leave organizations just because. Yes all players want a chance to win a championship but any team Delle Donne is on has a real chance at winning one. One thing Delle Donne can look forward to after leaving the Sky is winning a championship. Dupree, Fowles and Toliver have all won championships since leaving Chicago. Delle Donne is a restricted free agent this year which means that she can entertain offers from other teams but the Sky have the chance to match any offer she receives which they certainly will. Perhaps they will make a trade. I can think of a few deals that could work out in their favor assuming they have no other choice. The Washington Mystics or the NY Liberty could be Delle Donne’s next stop. She would be closer to home and her family who she is extremely close with. Washington would be ideal! Anytime the Sky play at the Verizon Center Delle Donne’s fans from Delaware show up in droves to support their the former fighting Blue Hen. Even if neither one of those teams are her next destination, I’m sorry to break the news to you Sky fans, but Chicago definitely will not be it.
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