Sky blockbuster trade signals win-now mode around Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso

The No. 3 draft pick in the 2025 WNBA draft will no longer play for the Chicago Sky next season. That’s because the Sky have traded it for Washington Mystics star Ariel Atkins, ESPN’s Alexa Phillipou reported on Sunday. As part of the trade, the Mystics will also receive a 2027 first-round pick swap and Chicago’s second-round pick in 2027.

For the Mystics, the decision to trade away Atkins signals a desire to rebuild around a promising young core headlined by Aaliyah Edwards. Atkins, who was the Mystics’ leading scorer last season, leaves after spending the first 7 years of her career with the organization. Washington will pair the 2025 No. 3 pick with last year’s No. 6 pick. Edwards had a solid rookie season, but has seemingly elevated her game to another level by playing in Unrivaled, the new professional women’s 3-on-3 basketball league taking place in Miami through March.

But for the Sky, the trade seems to indicate a level of urgency to win sooner rather than later.

What Ariel Atkins brings to Chicago

Chicago now enters next season with a revamped roster that features offseason acquisitions Courtney Vandersloot, Kia Nurse, Rebecca Allen, and Atkins, as well as returning frontcourt standouts Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.

Vandersloot is a veteran point guard who will almost definitively elevate the play of Reese and Cardoso, while Allen is an experienced three-point shooter and solid defender who will help space the floor in Chicago. Nurse, meanwhile, joins the organization via free agency after a year with the Los Angeles Sparks, and holds career averages of 9.3 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Atkins is a two-time All-Star, a former U.S. Olympian, and an elite two-way player. Last year, she averaged 14.9 points per game, shooting 42.7% from the field and 35.7% from three.

She’s averaged double-figure points in each of her 7 WNBA seasons. She’s also the first player in WNBA history who was named to an All-Defensive Team in each of her first five seasons. Earlier this week, Unrivaled announced Atkins as their latest relief contract player. Before that, Atkins had been playing professionally for the Turkish club Fenerbahce this winter.

At 28 years old, Atkins is amid her athletic prime and should help elevate the Sky’s roster right away, on both ends. The decision to give up the No. 3 pick for her indicates Chicago wants to increase the chances of a winning season in 2025 and seems to follow a pattern of acquiring veteran players that began when Vandersloot agreed to sign with the team last month.

Atkins will certainly improve next year’s roster and provide a versatile scoring option who can also defend. But, in acquiring her, the Sky gave up a promising pick in what was set up to be a stacked draft class — a decision that could prove costly in the long term.