Chicago Sky Player's Agent Blasts Team Over Trade Request Denial
All is not well with the Chicago Sky right now.
The Sky were defeated by the Las Vegas Aces in devastating fashion Sunday. This loss puts the Sky's record at 11-18 in the season, which has them just a half-game ahead of the Atlanta Dream for the eighth and final WNBA Playoffs spot with 11 regular season games left.
Chicago's on-court struggles have been amplified by what has felt like endless off-court drama this year. A recent example of this was all the antics surrounding Marina Mabrey's trade request from the Sky, and then her facing the Sky as a member of the Connecticut Sun on Friday.
Although it came out on Sunday that Mabrey allegedly wasn't the only Sky player to request a trade out of Chicago before this year's trade deadline.
Gregory Jones II — who is Sky guard Dana Evans' agent and the founder of G2 Hoops, a sports marketing company that also provides consultation and advisory services — wrote on X Sunday, "I’ve never seen a player who was playing close to 30mins per game averaging 13ppg 5apg get blamed for slow starts moved to bench and can’t get 10mins consistently. Again a player who was at 13ppg 5apg as your point guard."
I’ve never seen a player who was playing close to 30mins per game averaging 13ppg 5apg get blamed for slow starts moved to bench and can’t get 10mins consistently. Again a player who was at 13ppg 5apg as your point guard.
— Gregory Jones II (@1GJones2) August 25, 2024
Jones is referring to Evans, who began the season as a starter but has played 13 total minutes over the past two Sky games combined.
And that was just the beginning of Jones' frustrated tirade.
"Team didn’t want to move her when she requested a trade and didn’t want to move her at trade deadline. Yet bring in another point guard. Make it make sense," he then wrote.
Team didn’t want to move her when she requested a trade and didn’t want to move her at trade deadline. Yet being in another point guard. Make it make sense.
— Gregory Jones II (@1GJones2) August 25, 2024
The Sky acquired guards Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson from Connecticut in exchange for Mabrey.
Jones went on, writing, "So now it’s starting to look like and smell like she’s not getting mins because wanted out of Chicago. Instead of professional basketball looking real amateur because folks feelings were hurt."
So now it’s starting to look like and smell like she’s not getting mins because wanted out of Chicago. Instead of professional basketball looking real amateur because folks feelings were hurt.
— Gregory Jones II (@1GJones2) August 25, 2024
Evans is the longest-tenured player on the Sky's roster, having been on the team since June 2021. Although it appears that Evans and her agent were hoping her time in Chi-Town would end this summer.
Jones' rant ended with him writing, "Took her confidence to save face instead of dealing with the real issues on this team."
Took her confidence to save face instead of dealing with the real issues on this team.
— Gregory Jones II (@1GJones2) August 25, 2024
While Evans' trade request isn't confirmed, if Jones is telling the truth, she is clearly frustrated with her role in Chicago.
His referencing "real issues" with the Sky suggests that his upset client is just the tip of the iceberg, and there may be a lot more drama occurring behind Chicago's closed doors.
GRANT YOUNG
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.