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Angel Reese's Reaction to Chicago Sky Ariel Atkins Trade Speaks Volumes

Angel Reese made her opinion of the Chicago Sky's Ariel Atkins trade extremely clear.
Grant Young|
Jul 13, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts during the first half of a WNBA game against the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Jul 13, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts during the first half of a WNBA game against the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

On February 23, news broke that the Chicago Sky had traded their No. 3 pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics for two-time WNBA All-Star Ariel Atkins. In addition, the Mystics will also receive a 2027 first-round pick swap and Chicago's 2027 second-round pick.

This is a fascinating trade that, if nothing else, signals the Sky's intention to produce a winning team right away, rather than try and rebuild for the near future.

What's for sure is that Atkins provides much-needed scoring on the wing, which is something the Sky's roster lacked before this trade took place.

Atkins averaged 14.9 points per game for the Mystics during the 2024 season. She also shot 35.7% from three-point range and averaged two made threes per game. The Sky as a team only averaged 4.8 made three-pointers per game during the 2024 regular season (which was more than 1 three-pointer per game less than any other team in the league), so Atkins' addition makes sense for that reason alone.

The 28-year-old should be able to complement Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, who are Chicago's twin towers in the paint. And Reese made her opinion of this trade extremely clear with an X post on Sunday evening.

"walked in Unrivaled with no teammates & now i’m walking out with 2😜 #skytown," Reese wrote.

For reference, Atkins recently signed a relief player contract for Unrivaled. The other player Reese is referring to is Courtney Vandersloot, who signed with the Sky earlier in the offseason

Reese certainly seems to be excited about Atkins becoming her teammate.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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