​CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 21: Courtney Vandersloot #22 and head coach Tyler Marsh of the Chicago Sky react against the Golden State Valkyries during the second half at Wintrust Arena on August 21, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images CHICAGO — Another Chicago Sky season was lowered into the grave on a Sunday night at Wintrust Arena. The official cause of death was a flurry of third quarter three-pointers by Indiana Fever stars Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell that turned a close game into a blowout and ripped the slim playoff hopes out of Chicago’s hands. In reality, the Sky’s mathematical elimination was a long time coming, with the feel of a slow-motion train wreck that anyone could have spotted but no one could have prevented. It was the type of inevitable disaster that has defined this franchise ever since its magical 2021 championship run, and at this point, it’s starting to feel like there’s no way out.This is the third straight season the Sky have missed the playoffs. Injuries will be a convenient excuse, and there’s some truth to it. Chicago started the year 3-1 before star forward Rickea Jackson tore her ACL. That injury began a run of 11 losses in 12 games that effectively ended the Sky’s season on contact. It’s easy to fantasize about how this season might have turned out differently had Jackson stayed healthy, but there were always going to be too many leaks in this proverbial boat for smooth sailing. Under general manager Jeff Pagliocca, fantasy is the only thing Sky fans have to latch onto.This Sky season was destined to be forgettable when the team traded Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream for two first-round picks before training camp opened. Reese had developed into a homegrown star in her two seasons with the organization, but she wore out her welcome by refusing to accept the mediocrity that surrounded her.“I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year,” Reese told the Tribune at the end of last season. Her comments feel clairvoyant with a year of hindsight, especially when she put an even finer point on it by calling for an upgrade at lead guard.“We can’t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she’s at,” Reese said. Reese may as well have booked her ticket out of town when she uttered Courtney Vandersloot’s name, even if she was obviously right. Vandersloot isn’t just a Sky legend, she’s also closely aligned with Pagliocca, the lead executive who got his start as her personal trainer. Reese was suspended a game for her comments, and in that moment Chicago seemingly had a power struggle on its hands between a 24-year-old rising star and a 37-year-old coming off a torn ACL.Any sensible franchise would have aligned with Reese, but nothing the Sky do is