SEATTLE — Former Niles West star Jewell Loyd is beloved in Seattle, so much so that bringing up the two-time WNBA champion’s name in the city evokes a strong response from locals.
Fans acknowledge her as the Storm’s heart and soul after Sue Bird retired and Breanna Stewart left in free agency.
But the tone instantly flips from adulation to concern at the mention of Loyd’s status as an unrestricted free agent after the season.
‘‘No way,’’ a fan named Jordan said. ‘‘She’s not going anywhere. [The Sky] already got Candace Parker to come home. You can’t have Jewell, too.’’
Before anybody gets ahead of themselves, however, there is still an entire half of the WNBA season to play. Right now, Loyd — a five-time All-Star — is averaging a league-leading 24.9 points to go with 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists for a team that entered its game Saturday against the Sky in last place in the 12-team league at 4-17.
It might be premature to be talking about free agency already, but that doesn’t mean Loyd hasn’t thought about the possibility of joining her hometown franchise.
‘‘Of course [I’ve thought about it],’’ Loyd told the Sun-Times. ‘‘Every person wants to play in their hometown, whether it’s playing there for college, whatever it is. There’s always a different feel. I always say Chicago is one of my favorite places to play. At the same time, I’ve only known the Seattle Storm my whole [WNBA career].’’
Loyd acknowledged she has a sense of home in Seattle and values that. So what would it take for the Sky to lure her away in free agency?
For starters, she’s an unrestricted free agent whom the Storm can’t make a ‘‘core’’ player. There are other means to retaining Loyd, like a contract extension, but that would require interest on her part. The Sky will likely have an avenue to make a sales pitch happen. First, however, they need to get themselves to a place where they are appealing to a player such as Loyd. With free agency a mere six months away, time is running out.
The Sky touted their ability to sign Parker, one of the most significant free agents in WNBA history, in 2021 as a sign they have created a place where stars want to be. The issue with that belief is that Parker left the minute her contract was up. She didn’t sign with the Sky to practice at a public recreation center and drive 50-plus minutes from the suburbs to Wintrust Arena for home games.
While the Sky are in the process of developing their own practice facility near Wintrust, they need to have their coaching staff and front office solidified to sign a player such as Loyd. To a star player, the instability of an interim coach/general manager — the last dual coach/GM in the NBA or WNBA, at that — could be an indication of where the franchise stands in comparison to others.
With Dwyane Wade’s recent investment in the franchise, the Sky have the potential to close the gap between themselves and the upper-echelon franchises of the league, such as the Aces and Liberty, given Wade understanding of what it takes to create a winning culture.
‘‘Everyone is at the point where it’s about seeing what owners can do,’’ Loyd said. ‘‘Vegas has set the benchmark for what an organization could do, what it looks like and feels like. Everyone is trying to figure that out for every organization. So, yeah, I think everyone is waiting to see [how Wade’s investment affects the Sky]. We’ll see how it comes together.’’
Considering Loyd is going to be arguably the most sought-after free agent in the new year, the Sky can’t afford to gamble that being her hometown team will be enough for them to sign her. In fact, given the roster they’ll have in place, with Kahleah Copper also set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, the hometown factor will be far from enough to get Loyd into a Sky uniform.
The Sky will have four players under protected contracts going into 2024: Marina Mabrey, Elizabeth Williams, Isabelle Harrison and Dana Evans. As the team is learning this season, Mabrey isn’t the point guard former coach/GM James Wade touted her as being when he traded for her. And if the Sky re-sign Copper, adding Loyd to a backcourt that also features Mabrey doesn’t make a lot of sense.
These are only some of the issues the Sky need to get ironed out well before free agents can begin negotiations in January and why waiting until the end of the year to address coach/GM Emre Vatansever’s interim status is a bad move by Sky ownership.
Loyd didn’t entertain too deeply what will make a franchise appealing to her once she hits the free-agent market. Chicago already is appealing to Loyd in many ways, though. She trains back home with Steve Pratt every offseason and just opened a Smoothie King business in Lincolnwood with her brother.
‘‘Obviously, you want to compete for a championship; that’s obvious,’’ Loyd said. ‘‘And you want to have a competitive team and a competitive chance at winning. For me to understand what I need, the season needs to end because I’ll need that time to breathe and get my thoughts together.’’
