Just four seasons ago, the Chicago Sky won the WNBA championship. Then, after another semifinal appearance, the Sky lost Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot in free agency. After the 2023 season, the Sky also traded Kahleah Copper to the Phoenix Mercury, officially entering a rebuild. In 2024, the Sky drafted Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese and have been trying their best to accelerate the rebuild around them.
This offseason, the Sky made a gamble by trading the third overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics for veteran Ariel Atkins. Atkins was supposed to provide much-needed wing defense and 3-point shooting next to the Sky’s two bigs.
So far, the gamble has not paid off yet.
The Chicago Sky are struggling to start the season
The Sky want to return to the playoffs. One motivation for attempting to be more competitive this season may be that the majority of the league will enter free agency after this season. If the Sky can show that they are serious about building a competitive team around Reese and Cardoso, they may be able to attract some big names in free agency and build a contender without having to go through a full rebuild.
So far, the Sky have not looked like a competitive team. They suffered two bad losses to the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty. The Sky are clearly not on the same level as some sure-fire playoff teams.
If the Sky miss the playoffs, the veterans they signed and traded for this offseason don’t want to return, and they also can’t attract significant free agents, things will look bleak for Chicago. Not only do the Minnesota Lynx have the right to swap picks with the Sky in 2026, but they also would have wasted the chance to add a young talent to their core in the 2025 draft.
So far, the Atkins trade is not looking great for the Sky
The Sky gave up the third-overall pick to get Atkins, which the Mystics used to select Sonia Citron. Citron is definitely WNBA-ready and playing well to start her rookie season. Over three games, she is averaging 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. She is also shooting the three well, converting 36.4 percent of her attempts. The Mystics even won two of their first three games, beating Atlanta and Connecticut.
Meanwhile, Atkins has only scored 19 points over her first two games with the Sky and has yet to attempt more than eight field goals in a game. She is making a good percentage of her shots and is one of the few reliable 3-point threats on the Sky’s roster. Nevertheless, her shot attempts are well below her career average and not enough to have the impact the Sky need Atkins to have to make the trade worth it. The Sky are struggling to get Atkins good looks and involve her in the offense. That is not what you want from a player you traded a lottery pick for.
So far, the Atkins trade looks excellent for the Mystics but not quite as good for the Sky. However, it is still early in the season, and the Sky have some time to figure things out. The team’s next game is against Los Angeles, an easier opponent to face than the Fever and Liberty.