What losing the rights to María Conde means for the Chicago Sky

From the Sky, the Golden State Valkyries selected María Conde, a 27-year-old Spanish national team player whose status for the 2025 WNBA season is in question. 

The Sky drafted Conde No. 27 overall in 2019, but they suspended her contract in subsequent years when she opted to play internationally. Conde has yet to play in the WNBA, instead prioritizing commitments in Spain, Poland and the Czech Republic.

“We don’t know if she’s going to be coming over in the 2025 season,” Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin told reporters after the draft. “We just wanted the opportunity to talk to her and give her an opportunity to come over if she wanted to.”

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Conde is currently the second-leading scorer on USK Praha, a Czech club that includes WNBA players Brionna Jones, Ezi Magbegor, Isabelle Harrison and Brianna Turner. The 6’1 small forward is averaging 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game for Praha in EuroLeague play. 

She also averaged 9.5 points per game for Spain in the 2024 Olympics.

Conde is clearly the type of player who can contribute to a WNBA team. In fact, the Sky are currently missing a bigger wing who can score consistently. But it’s unlikely Conde would’ve played for the Sky in 2025. 

Spanish journalist Luis Vallejo recently reported that Conde’s short-term priority is EuroBasket, a FIBA international competition that overlaps with the 2025 WNBA season. Of course, that could change in discussions with the Valkyries.

“It’s an experience in just being empathetic,” Nyanin said of convincing Conde to play for the Valkyries. “I just want to make sure they understand who I am, what we’re trying to build, who Coach Natalie Nakase is, and what she’s trying to build.”

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The bottom line for the Sky: In losing Conde, they lost a good asset and potential building block for the future. But their 2025 roster construction process is likely unchanged. 

Going into free agency next month, the Sky have the third-most cap space available of any WNBA team. They currently have six players under contract: Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Elizabeth Williams, Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson and Lindsay Allen. 

Their most important player from the 2024 roster — Chennedy Carter — is a restricted free agent. That means the Sky can put her front and center in their rebuild if they want to. With right of first refusal, they can match any offer Carter receives from another team.

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For more on the 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft, read all our stories from our WNBA beats or listen to our analysis on the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast.