Trading the No. 3 pick was always on the table for Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca.
Since taking the job last Fall, Pagliocca has led with an aggressiveness similar to his predecessor, James Wade. Moving the team’s lottery pick came down to one question: is an All-Star caliber two-way guard available?
Ariel Atkins was the answer.
“Compete,” Atkins replied when asked about her mindset heading into the 2025 season. “That’s the common word that I’m hearing from everybody within the Sky organization.”
Pagliocca pursued a trade for Atkins to avoid investing any more time in a rebuild. While the Sky are throwing around the word compete, defining what that looks like is what truly matters.
For the Sky, competing means being one of the WNBA’s eight playoff teams.
After the free agency dust has settled, the league’s landscape indicates the Sky are still a fringe postseason team. The early favorites for a title run are the Liberty, Lynx and possibly even the Fever. As long as the Aces have A’ja Wilson, they have a shot, but there are still questions regarding how six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd will fit in Becky Hammon’s system.
The Mercury and Storm made substantial additions to their already playoff-caliber rosters, but both must respond to the absence of franchise stalwarts.
That leaves the Dream, Sparks and Sky vying for the final two playoff spots. The Dream narrowly edged the Sky out for the eighth and final spot in the postseason in 2024, and they got better with the addition of Griner and former Sun forward Brionna Jones.
On paper, the eighth seed could come down to the Sky and Sparks. Pagliocca gambled that Atkins was the missing piece that, in combination with him signing Courtney Vandersloot, Kia Nurse and Rebecca Allen, will get them there.
“Not only is it vets [that the Sky added] it’s people that know how to win,” Atkins said. “It’s exciting to be able to bring that experience and that mindset to show [the young players] one thing that’s different that can help them lock in more or be more comfortable when it comes to the playoff experience.”
In her final season with the Mystics, Atkins was tasked with developing as a playmaker. She averaged the highest assist output of her career, with 3.1 assists per game, and didn’t experience a dip in her scoring average.
With Vandersloot back in the fold, Atkins won’t be the lead facilitator, but she provides the Sky with options in the backcourt.
“Playing out of pick and rolls,” Atkins said. “It’s the name of the game. Can you play out of pick-and-rolls? Can you make the right reads? Can you know when to shoot, when to pass and when to be aggressive? Finding that nature was really helpful for me last season. We have two different kinds of posts. I had [Stefanie] Dolson last year, who liked to pop a ton. Now, I’ll be with [Angel Reese] and Kamilla [Cardoso], and they’re going to be rolling more or short popping more.”
Atkins and Reese have already begun to find a rhythm together playing on Team Rose in Unrivaled’s inaugural season. The Sky’s new guard was a late addition and has struggled to establish her game in the three-on-three league, but in her fourth game, she connected with a rolling Reese for an easy layup that provided a glimpse of what’s possible this season.
“Honestly think she doesn’t have a ceiling,” Atkins said of Reese. “Which is exciting to say. We finally connected on a pass, which was nice. That’s strictly on me trying to find my rhythm within this game in Unrivaled. Her will to get better is the most exciting thing about her.
As you all know, her competitive nature is insane. That’s something I’m excited about because sometimes I’m too mellow. It’ll be exciting ot play with someone like that who can get my engine going too.”