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Report: Los Angeles Sparks in talks to trade Rickea Jackson to Chicago Sky for Ariel Atkins

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz04/09/26NickSchultz_7

The Los Angeles Sparks are in talks to trade Rickea Jackson to the Chicago Sky, Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile reported. Los Angeles would receive Ariel Atkins in exchange.

Jackson has spent the last two seasons with the Sparks after going No. 4 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft out of Tennessee. She put up the best numbers of her young career in 2025 as she averaged 14.7 points to go with 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game across 38 appearances, including 37 starts.

During the 2024 season, Jackson earned WNBA All-Rookie Team honors after averaging 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. She is also part of the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league and played for Breeze BC this past season.

Atkins played just one season in Chicago after coming over via trade from the Washington Mystics. She averaged 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game in her 34 starts for the Sky last year. Atkins has made two WNBA All-Star teams and four All-Defensive second teams during her career and was part of the Mystics’ 2019 league championship team.

The expected move comes after the Sky deemed Atkins a “core” player, which would make them the only team able to offer her a supermax qualifying offer. That was part of the terms of the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, which came about after lengthy negotiations.

Chicago is also overhauling its roster and made a high-profile move this week, which also involved a member of the decorated 2024 draft class. The Sky sent Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for 2027 and 2028 first-round picks. Reese went No. 7 overall in 2024, and if the trade goes through, Jackson will join the No. 3 overall pick that year, Kamilla Cardoso, on the Chicago roster.

The Sky struggled mightily in 2025 to miss the playoffs once again. Chicago finished 10-34 under new head coach Tyler Marsh, including eight losses over the final nine games of the year. The franchise holds the No. 5 overall pick in next week’s WNBA Draft after sending what became the No. 2 pick to the Minnesota Lynx. That gave Chicago the No. 11 pick in 2025, which the Sky used to draft former TCU guard Hailey Van Lith.

The Sparks also had an up-and-down go through the 2025 season. They finished 21-23 overall, two games short of making the playoffs. Rickea Jackson was their third-leading scorer with 14.7 points behind Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby.