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The Chicago Sky's window to secure Stephanie White as their new head coach was brief, more a crack than a window. Despite the best efforts of general manager Jeff Pagliocca, the crack closed on Friday when White’s return to the Indiana Fever was made official. This move witnessed White returning to a team she previously played for from 2000 to 2004 and where she spent time as an assistant and head coach from 2011 to 2016.

White, who had another year left on her contract with the Connecticut Sun, is highly regarded as one of the best coaches available, which made her a prime target for the Fever once the Sun’s season wrapped up. While White is now off the market, six WNBA franchises, including the Sky, are still on the hunt for new coaches. This number could rise to eight with the Toronto and Portland expansion teams set to join the league in 2026.

Despite what may appear as an abundance of potential coaching candidates, not every dismissed coach is immediately suitable for another head-coaching position. The WNBA’s coaching pipeline is notably thin, making the search for qualified leaders more challenging.

After an extensive search, the Sky opted to hire former Aces assistant Natalie Nakase, a move many believed should have occurred in 2023. Other assistant coaches generating significant interest include Katie Smith of the Lynx and Tyler Marsh from Becky Hammon's staff with the Aces. Marsh, known for his player development work with three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, is a primary target for the Sky after missing out on White.

Pursuing White would have required the Sky to offer a substantial salary, likely in line with the million-dollar figures reported for other top coaches like Becky Hammon in Las Vegas and Nate Tibbetts with the Mercury. While specific details of White’s contract with the Fever remain undisclosed, it’s understood that competing bids needed to be in that financial range.

The Sky have never offered a seven-figure salary to a coach, but negotiations with White suggest they were prepared to do so. "This franchise has and always will be committed to winning, and I look forward to working every day to help deliver another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world," White expressed in a statement.

The Sky's recent struggles, marked by an apparent lack of commitment to a winning culture over the past three years, underscore the urgency for a solid coaching hire. Ownership's failure to retain a coach of James Wade's caliber has only heightened this need. To solidify their position as a serious contender, the Sky must now make a deliberate and impactful decision in their next head coach hire.