Sky Try to Rectify Sonia Citron Mistake With Reported Rickea Jackson Trade
The Chicago Sky are clearly trying to rebuild their roster after having a disappointing past few seasons. This was made exceedingly clear by the franchise trading Angel Reese, who had been their team's face since she was drafted with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for two first round picks.
Reese wasn't the Sky's only first round pick in that historic 2024 WNBA Draft. They also selected Kamilla Cardoso with the No. 3 pick. And it seems that they may have another top-five pick from the draft on their roster over the next few days.
On April 9, Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports reported on X that the Sky and the Los Angeles Sparks are in discussions for a trade that involves sending Rickea Jackson (who was the No. 4 pick in the 204 WNBA Draft) to Chicago in exchange for Ariel Atkins.
While this trade isn't a done deal yet, the fact that Costabile feels comfortable enough to report on it suggests that it's essentially sure to happen. And she even noted that the deal will likely go through on Saturday.
Initial social media reactions to this reported deal are that the Sky would seem to be the winners, as Jackson has shown a ton of potential to this point. She averaged 14.7 points per game for Los Angeles last season and is still improving.
Chicago Sky Adding Rickea Jackson Could Make Sonia Citron Mishap Sting Less
Atkins is coming off a disappointing 2025 season, where she averaged 13.1 points per game across 34 contests in what was her first season not playing for the Washington Mystics.
Atkins was traded to Chicago last February in exchange for the No. 3 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft (plus a 2027 second-round pick, and 2027 first-round pick swap). The Mystics used that No. 3 pick to select former Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, who turned out to be a superstar in her rookie season, averaging 14.9 points per game and coming through big in the season's second half.
The Sky received a ton of criticism for trading that No. 3 pick for Atkins when it happened, as it suggested that they believed adding Atkins would turn their team into a contender when they should have instead been building toward the future.
This criticism proved valid, especially after Citron outperformed Atkins last season. However, the Sky appear to be rectifying that mistake and adding a key piece in their renewed youth movement if this deal for Jackson goes through.
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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