Ariel Atkins’ top plays from last season (1:37)
Check out the best plays in 2024 from Ariel Atkins, who was traded from the Mystics to the Sky. (1:37)
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Alexa Philippou
Alexa Philippou
ESPN
- Covers women’s college basketball and the WNBA
- Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
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Kendra Andrews
Feb 23, 2025, 07:20 PM ET
The Washington Mystics traded two-time All-Star guard Ariel Atkins to the Chicago Sky in exchange for the No. 3 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
The Mystics will also receive a 2027 first-round pick swap and Chicago’s second-round pick in 2027.
Atkins, a 2019 WNBA champion with the Mystics and 2020 Olympian, has averaged 13.4 points and 3.0 rebounds for her career.
The move kickstarts a rebuild in D.C. after Washington parted ways with general manager Mike Thibault and coach Eric Thibault earlier this offseason.
The Mystics narrowly missed the postseason in 2024 and have not won a playoff game since their championship run in 2019. The team introduced new coach Sydney Johnson and general manager Jamila Wideman earlier this month.
The Sky also missed the 2024 postseason but look well-positioned to return in 2025 behind a revamped roster featuring new additions Courtney Vandersloot, Kia Nurse and Rebecca Allen to play alongside star second-year players Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
