The WNBA’s free agency has been very active, with impactful moves that have reshaped the league’s landscape. Superstars have changed teams, players have renewed with their former teams with maximum contracts, and transfers have been constant.
The week began with Angel Reese’s transfer to the Atlanta Dream, months after publicly expressing her concern about the team’s future. The Sky finished tied for last place in the league with a 10-34 record.
On Sunday, the Sky made another move, acquiring Rickea Jackson, the No. 4 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, from the Los Angeles Sparks. As part of the deal, veteran guard Ariel Atkins will join the Sparks.
Jackson, a 6-foot-2 forward, will play closer to her hometown of Detroit. She turned 25 last month and averaged 14.7 points and 3.2 rebounds last season for the Sparks, who finished with a 21-23 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Atkins, who will turn 30 in July, averaged 13.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists last year, her only season with the Sky after seven with the Washington Mystics.
We analyze the most important WNBA moves, including Sunday’s recent trade.
Analysis of Transfers
Sky and Sparks Swap Veterans
Sky receives: Rickea Jackson
Sparks receives: Ariel Atkins
Chicago Sky: Grade A
The Sky addresses a need at the power forward position with Jackson, and perhaps compensates for the mistake of having acquired Atkins in the first place. Last year, the Sky got Atkins in exchange for their 2025 first-round pick which became Sonia Citron, who averaged 14.9 points, with 44.5% three-point shooting and was part of the All-Rookie Team. Citron could have been a young component for the Sky’s future. The trade of Atkins for Jackson, who has great potential, seems like a good decision for the Sky, which still retains a large presence of guards on its roster.
Los Angeles Sparks: Grade B
The consistency and winning experience of Atkins, both with the top Mystics teams (WNBA champions in 2019) and with the U.S. national team, are great advantages. A concern is that she is five years older than Jackson, whom the Sparks could miss in the future. But Los Angeles needed to add another veteran and stable point guard, and Atkins fits that profile. Los Angeles hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020 and seems to be in win-now mode. That makes sense, considering the overall age of the team.
Reese’s trade opens up free agency
Dream receives: Angel Reese
Sky receives: 2027 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, rights to swap 2028 second-round draft picks with the Dream
Atlanta Dream: Grade A
The Dream brought in college coach Karl Smesko last season, who was a strong contender for Coach of the Year. Atlanta completely changed its offense under Smesko, who encourages many 3-pointers and a more positionless game. While that might initially not seem suitable for a pure power forward like Reese, Smesko and general manager Dan Padover have certainly studied her game a lot and devised strategies on how to incorporate her into this system.
Reese is not just a good rebounder; it’s almost unbelievable how good she is. She maintains possession on the offensive side and allows teams more opportunities to initiate the transition offense with her defensive rebounds. She also has an unstoppable motor and good defensive skills.
Now, the well-known “but” against Reese: She’s not a great shooter. But don’t underestimate her desire to improve her game. Smesko is an exceptional coach, skilled at putting players in the best position to do what they do well.
Reese’s comments last year about how the Sky’s roster needed to be improved might not have been well-received by her Chicago teammates, understandably. But she wasn’t wrong either: Reese wants to win, and it seemed like she was speaking from a feeling of passionate frustration. Having veteran players around her in an organization that appreciates her personality, but can also help her channel it productively, could bring out the best in her.
Chicago Sky: Grade B
This grade could go up a lot if the selections the Sky receives turn out to be good, and they might be. There’s also the reality that the Sky probably felt there was no way forward with Reese after how things went last season.
That said, Reese attracts as a player beyond her skills: The Sky is losing its personality, its off-court appeal to fans, its energy. For the most part, it seemed that Chicago fans loved her and many will lament her departure. (Those same fans seem to be unhappy with the overall direction of the Sky since the pinnacle of winning the WNBA title in 2021).
Other Sky moves in the coming weeks could help calm the fans, but the lack of them could bother them even more. This rating could end up being too low if the eventual performance of this deal is substantial, but if it is not, the rating could be too high.
