When Chicago Sky made the shocking decision to move on from Angel Reese, many expected the franchise to take a step backward. Instead, the Sky front office responded by becoming one of the busiest teams of the offseason. They brought in proven stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, Rickea Jackson, DiJonai Carrington, and Natasha Cloud, making it clear that rebuilding was never part of the plan.

But while the offseason brought excitement and optimism, the last week has been far less kind to Chicago. The losses have started piling up, injuries have added to the frustration, and now one of the team’s key players will also face punishment from the league.

The Chicago Sky suffered their second straight loss on Saturday against the Minnesota Lynx, dropping to 3-3 on the season. But most of the conversation after the game centered around the heated incident involving Kamilla Cardoso rather than the result itself.

A sequence involving Kamilla Cardoso and Emese Hof late in the first quarter ultimately set the tone for the heated moment that followed in the second. With just three seconds remaining in the opening frame, Hof committed a personal foul on Cardoso, sending the Chicago Sky center to the free-throw line, where she knocked down both shots.

Early in the second quarter, tensions escalated. Cardoso appeared to taunt Hof and even faked throwing the ball in her direction, which immediately caught everyone’s attention. “See right here, that’s Cardoso sending a little bit of a message to Hof,” the broadcaster said during the telecast.

The Lynx star remained unmoved, and the team ran their next play. But moments later, the two exchanged words and had to be separated, and the coaches and officials stepped in and called a double technical foul on both, a decision that now carries financial repercussions for each of them.

Under the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, player salaries have reached unprecedented levels this season. The league’s salary cap has jumped from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million, with several stars now entering the millionaire club. But the new agreement hasn’t just changed salaries; it has also brought major changes to the league’s fine structure.

Under the new CBA, the first three technical fouls of the season come with a $500 fine each. Once a player reaches four technicals, the penalties get steeper.

Technical fouls four through seven carry a $1,000 fine, and after the fifth one, the league also sends out a warning letter. From the eighth technical onward, players are fined $1,500 and automatically suspended for one game. But in the playoffs, the count resets.

The first two technical fouls are fined at $500 each, the third results in a $1,000 fine along with a warning letter, and a fourth technical foul leads to a $1,500 fine plus a one-game suspension.

Since this was Kamilla Cardoso’s first technical foul of the season, she will pay a $500 fine. With this, the Sky have now already picked up four technical fouls this season. Last year, they accumulated 19 in total, with Angel Reese leading the team with nine technical fouls by herself.

The league has worked extensively to reduce excessive physical contact and improve “freedom of movement,” but the new emphasis has still left many players and coaches confused. Paige Bueckers herself was assessed a technical foul simply for clapping her hands during the game against the Atlanta Dream. Official Kevin Fahy interpreted the gesture as unsportsmanlike conduct and immediately handed her a technical.

Moments like these will naturally put officiating under the microscope, and there will certainly be conversations around it. But the Chicago Sky themselves will know that a brief exchange between players was not the reason they lost the game.

No player from the  Sky managed to score more than 20 points, with Cardoso leading the way with 17 points and seven rebounds. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Sydney Taylor were the only other Chicago players to reach double figures. The Windy City franchise was also completely dominated on the boards, getting outrebounded 54-28 while also being outscored by 12 points in the paint.

Head coach Tyler Marsh was also far from pleased with his team’s performance as he watched Natasha Howard drop 26 points to lead the Lynx from the front.

“Our physicality, it wasn’t there at all really in the first half for the most part. I thought that we conceded on some switches a little bit too easily and it was allowing her (Natasha) to take advantage down low. They really hurt us on the offensive glass… they played harder than we did in the first half,” Marsh said in post game press conference.

With Angel Reese no longer on the team, a huge amount of responsibility has naturally fallen on the shoulders of Kamilla Cardoso to lead the Chicago Sky frontcourt. And with the team struggling for consistency, questions are now beginning to surface about whether she can fully handle that role.

Questions surround Kamilla Cardoso’s ability despite her performances

This year has been a rollercoaster for Chicago, as only four players from their 2025 rotation remain. The scrutiny was loud after Angel Reese left. Grant Young, a WNBA beat journalist, questioned Cardoso’s fit in the new-look team.

“Angel Reese leaving the Chicago Sky hasn’t unlocked Kamilla Cardoso in a way people expected,” Young said, “Because I think space is just one aspect of this equation. Reese did clog the paint at times, but also created a lot of pressure for the defense to deal with. Reese’s physicality, offensive rebounding, and second-chance opportunities created more chances for Cardoso. But now, defense can solely focus on her in the interior.”

The criticism was fair, with the 25-year-old center already having two games with fewer than 10 points. But in the last three matchups, the South Carolina alum has regained her form. In last week’s encounter against Minnesota, Cardoso missed the first three shots but ended with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists. Then, against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, she had her season-best 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.

Against the Lynx, the entire Sky unit struggled, yet Cardoso powered with a team-high 17 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 66.67% from the field. Cardoso’s 17 points came when the Sky was already missing Carrington (left foot), Vandersloot (ACL recovery), and Rickea Jackson, who recently suffered a torn ACL, meaning she will be out for the season.

The Chicago Sky next face the Toronto Tempo at home in a matchup they are expected to win. ESPN currently gives Chicago a 62.6% chance of coming away with the victory, and head coach Tyler Marsh will be hoping for a far sharper performance from his side as they look to get back to winning ways.