2021 WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper is returning to the Sky on a multi-year deal, according to Just Women's Sports' Rachel Galligan.
Reports of Copper agreeing to a multi-year deal come weeks removed from the team saying it offered Copper the core designation, a one-year supermax deal totaling just over $228,000.
“[With the core designation] you’re showing them they're the future of the franchise going forward,” Sky general manager/coach James Wade told the Chicago Sun-Times' Annie Costabile. “I know sometimes people think the core designation limits you but it actually shows the organization's investment and belief in you.”
Copper, 27, averaged 14.4 points on 45.9% shooting and 4.2 rebounds per game in last year's regular season. But in last year's playoffs, and especially in the Finals, she elevated her production to a higher level, averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds on 52% shooting from the field.
Chicago defeated Phoenix 3–1 in last year's Finals to claim the franchise's first-ever championship.
It took until 2020 for Copper, who was drafted by the Mystics in 2016 but traded to the Sky before the ’17 season, to truly find a leading role in Chicago. But, Wade told Sports Illustrated last May, “This is what we envisioned for her for a long time. And when we were able to give her that opportunity last year, she took it on strong.”
Thanks to her new deal, it appears she won't be going anywhere.
