Annie Costabile

“For me, [the remaining schedule] is about playing hard and showing them what I can do,” Hebard said. “Hopefully, I’ll be in Chicago because I love Chicago.”

The Pelicans hired Weatherspoon, 57, as a two-way player-development coach in 2019, the same year she was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and kept her as an assistant for four years before releasing her in June.

“We need to take care of business,” interim coach/general manager Emre Vatansever said. “We play Seattle and Los Angeles on the road now. That’s our focus.”

Beyond the 2023 season, there’s nothing but uncertainty regarding Copper’s status in Chicago unless the Sky can sign her to a deal.

While the Sky puts off addressing the two of the most critically important roles to a professional sports franchise — coach and general manager — questions about their roster only grow more concerning.

Dana Evans led the Sky with 23 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. Marina Mabrey added 19 points and Alanna Smith 14.

“You always take the call,” Chatman told the Sun-Times. “But I’m also not chasing a chair.”

It’s not that the Sky are playing below their capabilities. This team was not built to be successful. At its best, the Sky could barely make the playoffs. If the season ended today, they wouldn’t.

Since interim coach/general manager Emre Vatansever took over for James Wade after his abrupt resignation, the Sky have gone 5-9. Their most recent three-game losing streak has them on the brink of falling out of playoff contention with just 10 games left in the season.