WNBA offseason trade grades 2026: Winners and losers

Michael VoepelApr 12, 2026, 01:45 PM ET
Close

Multiple Authors

It has been a busy week of WNBA free agency. Superstars have swapped teams, players have returned to their former squads on max deals, and there has been no shortage of trades, either.

The week started off when Angel Reese was traded to the Atlanta Dream, months after she publicly voiced concern about the team’s future last year. The Sky finished tied for last in the league at 10-34.

On Sunday, the Sky made another move, trading for Rickea Jackson, the No. 4 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Veteran guard Ariel Atkins is headed back to LA.

Jackson, a 6-foot-2 forward, will be going closer to her home city of Detroit. She turned 25 last month and averaged 14.7 points and 3.2 rebounds last season for the Sparks, who finished 21-23 and missed 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.

This offseason, we’ll take a look at which teams got the better of the major WNBA deals, including Sunday’s latest. ESPN breaks down all the implications in our trade grades.

Sky, Sparks swap veterans

Sky get: Rickea Jackson

Sparks get: Ariel Atkins

The Sky filled a need at power forward with Jackson — and perhaps made up for the mistake they made in obtaining Atkins in the first place. Last year, the Sky got Atkins by trading their 2025 first-round selection to the Washington Mystics. That pick became guard Sonia Citron, who averaged 14.9 points, shot 44.5% from 3-point range and was on the All-Rookie Team. Citron could have been a young component of the Sky’s future. It wasn’t that Atkins played badly for Chicago last year, just that the Sky foundered and her veteran presence was somewhat wasted on a team that wasn’t going anywhere. Flipping Atkins for Jackson, who has great potential, seems like a wise move for Sky, who still retain a lot of guard presence on their roster.

Atkins’ consistency and winning experience — both with the best of the Mystics teams (2019 WNBA champions) and the U.S. national team — are big pluses. A concern is that she’s five years older than Jackson, whom the Sparks might miss down the line. But Los Angeles needed to add another steady, veteran guard, and Atkins fits that bill. Los Angeles has not made the playoffs since 2020 and seems to be in win-now mode. That makes sense, considering the overall older age of the team. — Voepel

Free agency opens with blockbuster Reese trade

Dream get: Angel Reese

Sky get: First-round pick in 2027, first-round pick in 2028, rights to swap second-round picks in 2028 draft with Dream

The Dream brought in longtime college coach Karl Smesko last season and he was a strong contender for Coach of the Year. Atlanta totally changed its offense under Smesko, who encourages a lot of 3-point shooting and more positionless play. While that initially might not seem like it suits a pure power forward like Reese, Smesko and general manager Dan Padover have certainly studied her game a lot and strategized about how to incorporate her into this system.

Reese isn’t just a good rebounder; it’s almost uncanny how great she is. She keeps possessions alive on the offensive end and allows teams more opportunities to start the transition offense with her defensive boards. She also has a nonstop motor and good defensive skills.

Now to the well-known “knock” against Reese: She isn’t a great shooter. But don’t underestimate her desire to improve her game. Smesko is an exceptional teacher, 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 upgraded might not have been taken well by her Chicago teammates, understandably. But she also wasn’t wrong: Reese wants to win, and it seemed she spoke from a sense of passionate frustration. Having veteran players around her in an organization that appreciates her personality — but can also help her channel it in a productive way — could bring out her best.

This grade could go up a lot if the picks the Sky get turn out well — and it’s possible they could. There’s also the reality that the Sky likely felt there was no path going forward with Reese after how things went down last season.

That said, Reese is a draw as a player outside of just her skills: The Sky are losing her personality, her off-court appeal to fans, her energy. For the most part, it seemed like Chicago fans loved her and many will be sorry to see her go. (Those same fans have seemed unhappy with the overall direction of the Sky since the franchise’s pinnacle of winning the WNBA title in 2021.)

Other moves from the Sky in the coming weeks might help mollify the fans — but a lack of them might make them even more upset. This grade could end up being too low if the eventual return on this deal is substantial — but if it’s not, the grade could be too high.