The Sky have some urgency to free agency

Alanna Smith #8, Elizabeth Williams #1, Courtney Williams #10, and Kahleah Copper #2 of the Chicago Sky celebrate during the second half against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on June 04, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Sky won 86-82. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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.