Sky trade the No. 3 draft pick to the Mystics for guard Ariel Atkins

Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune on Feb 23, 2025

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CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky traded out of the draft lottery Sunday night to acquire veteran guard Ariel Atkins in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Mystics.

The Sky announced they sent their No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft — along with a first-round pick swap and a second-round pick in 2027 — to the Mystics to acquire Atkins. The guard will join a newly remodeled backcourt that includes two-time champion Courtney Vandersloot as the Sky enter the second year of a rebuild around young stars Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.

Atkins has played all seven seasons of her WNBA career in Washington after the Mystics selected her at No. 7 in the 2018 draft. She won a WNBA championship with the team in 2019. Atkins was named an All-Star in 2021 and 2022 and earned first or second-team All-Defense selections every year for the first five seasons of her career.

A career 36.2% shooter from 3-point range, Atkins will provide a significant boost to the Sky’s shooting behind the arc — their biggest area of weakness. She averaged the 12th-highest volume of made 3-pointers per game in the league last season, tallying 14.9 points and a career-high 3.1 assists per game.

The Sky gave up significant first-round draft capital for one year with Atkins, who is entering the final season of a two-year $400,000 deal signed in 2024. The guard will become a free agent after this season ahead of an offseason that is anticipated to be full of upheaval across the league as players seek larger contracts following the completion of a new collective bargaining agreement.

Trading the No. 3 draft pick was always an option for the general manager Jeff Pagliocca, who has compiled significant draft capital over the last year of his tenure. The Sky still possess the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft in addition to a pick swap with the Connecticut Sun in 2026. The draft is scheduled to take place on April 14.

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