The Sky are bringing back Maddy Westbeld and Aicha Coulibaly on development contracts. Both players had been waived earlier this week.
Development contracts are new to the WNBA this year. In addition to the 12 roster spots, two development players can practice with the team and play in up to 12 games. They receive a weekly stipend and pro-rated salary for games played.
If the Sky roster gets depleted by injury, Westbeld and Coulibaly could be signed to a full spot. Last season a wave of injuries hit and the Sky had to sign Marquesha Davis to a hardship contract and Sevgi Uzun to a rest-of-season contract. Pulling up Westbeld and Coulibaly would be smoother.
However, other teams in the league can also offer development players a full spot at any time. The Sky would have right-of-first-refusal to offer a full spot on the roster, otherwise the player could take the other deal.
The Sky selected Westbeld No. 16 in the 2025 draft while Coulibaly was their No. 22 pick in the 2025 draft. Westbeld averaged 13.6 minutes per game in her rookie season and scored 4.1 points per game. Coulibaly did not join the team because she was rehabbing an ACL injury.