Late on Sunday, another lottery pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft changed hands when the Chicago Sky agreed to trade the No. 3 overall selection, along with a 2027 first-round pick swap and a 2027 second-round pick, to the Washington Mystics for Ariel Atkins.
All told, there have now been two lottery picks — the Los Angeles Sparks sent No. 2 to the Seattle Storm in the three-team blockbuster that also involved the Las Vegas Aces — and five first-round selections traded during this wild offseason. With nearly two months left until the draft, it would not be a surprise to see the board change again.
For now, let’s grade this latest deal between the Sky and Mystics.
Sky receive
The Sky were in a tough spot at No. 3. After drafting Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese last year, they desperately need a guard for the future, but the two best backcourt prospects in this class, Paige Bueckers and Olivia Miles, are widely expected to be the first two picks.
If the Sky stayed at No. 3, and Bueckers and Miles were indeed off the board, their options would have been to reach a bit for a guard (or wing) like Sonia Citron, Shyanne Sellers, Justė Jocytė or Georgia Amoore, or take yet another big. You can make a pretty…
