Sky's Kamilla Cardoso Out 4-6 Weeks with Shoulder Injury; No. 3 Pick of WNBA Draft

The Chicago Sky don't even take the court for the 2024 WNBA regular season until May 15, but they are already dealing with significant injury concerns.

Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday that Kamilla Cardoso, who was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft, will miss four to six weeks after suffering a shoulder injury during a preseason game against the Minnesota Lynx.

What's more, Brynna Maxwell, who was the first pick of the second round of the same draft, will miss three to four weeks because of a knee injury.

This is quite the blow for the Sky, who seemed to be starting a new era during the draft when they selected South Carolina's Cardoso and LSU's Angel Reese (No. 7 overall) in the top seven picks.

They were two of the most notable names in college basketball last season and featured players for the last two national champions. They also gave Chicago a one-two punch of bigs to build around this season and beyond.

Maxwell was likely taken in the second round with the Cardoso and Reese combination in mind since the Sky will need to space the floor around the two bigs. She shot 44 percent from three-point range during her final season at Gonzaga and will not get the opportunity to show off her outside skills at the WNBA level for weeks following this setback.

Chicago needed something of a reset after going 18-22 and losing in the first round of the playoffs last season. It was a far cry from its 2021 championship team, and many of the stars from that edition of the club were no longer on the roster.

With Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot no longer on the Sky, Kahleah Copper was forced to carry much of the offense last year. However, the front office traded Copper this offseason, leaving even more of a hole in star power.

Reese and Cardoso figured to provide that immediate star power, but the latter will not be on the floor now for the start of her rookie campaign.

That will put even more of the onus on Reese when the Sky take the floor for their May 15 opener against the Dallas Wings.