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Sky star who just received core qualifying offer after Angel Reese trade
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- Sky star who just received core qualifying offer after Angel Reese trade
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The Chicago Sky 's decision to trade Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream was a long time coming. The Sky are looking to rebuild after a disastrous 13-27 season, and Reese had progressively grown more discontent with the franchise in recent months.
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Chicago however, are not messing around, and have already made their next move. They have extended a core qualifying offer to Ariel Atkins , who was one of the few bright sparks for the team last season. However, that does not mean the Sky are looking to keep her, per a post by Julia Poe.
Instead, Chicago are understood to be considering a sign-and-trade and want to get some assets in return. That can also lead to them signing her to a longer contract, which Poe wrote would not be a "supermax," but still an overpay to keep her in Chicago.
"The Sky could also negotiate a longer-term contract with Atkins (think – still an overpay, but not a supermax) to keep her in Chicago. The point is definitely to retain her value, one way or another," the post read.
The offer is a fully guaranteed one-year supermax deal worth approximately $1.4 million, placing Atkins among the highest-paid players under the new collective bargaining agreement. More importantly, the "core" designation prevents her from negotiating with other teams freely, ensuring that Chicago either keeps her or extracts value through a structured move such as a sign-and-trade.
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Atkins justified the investment in her first season with Chicago. She averaged 13.1 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, finishing as the team's third-leading scorer.
The 2019 WNBA Champion and two-time All-Star will undoubtedly have plenty of takers, with Chicago understood to be prioritizing draft assets. That is also in line with the Angel Reese
trade which saw them receive first-round picks in 2027 and 2028.
Chicago traded the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft, which became All-Star Sonia Citron , along with additional assets to acquire Atkins back in February 2025.
Related: WNBA rumors: Did Angel Reese request trade from Sky before Dream blockbuster?
