The Sparks are discussing a trade that would send Rickea Jackson to Chicago for Ariel Atkins, and the deal is not done yet. But league chatter suggests it is already pretty far along.
Jackson, 24 years old, averaged 14.7 points per game in her sophomore season and shot 34.8% from 3-point range last season. She has been one of the bright young stars for Los Angeles and, alongside Cameron Brink, was brought in as part of the team’s push to build around young talent.
The move would send one of the Sparks’ most visible young players out just as they continue trying to find a better offensive balance. Los Angeles finished middle of the pack in 3-point shooting last year, so any deal involving Jackson would be judged not only on what it adds in return, but on what it takes away from a roster already trying to become more consistent from long range.
Atkins, meanwhile, would arrive in a deal that reflects how Chicago values her. The Sky traded multiple first-round picks, including the No. 3 overall pick, to get her, and she backed up that price tag with a strong season: 13.1 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and a 36.1% clip from 3-point range. She was an All-Defense guard for her first five seasons in the league and was a two-time All-Star in 2021 and 2022.
The fit is not a mystery, even if the timing is. Chicago last season was a mess, and a trade built around Atkins would be an attempt to reshape the roster around a player who has already shown she can defend, score and hold up under pressure. For the Sparks, the question is sharper: whether moving Jackson now means giving up on one of the main positives of the last two seasons in Los Angeles.
If the deal goes through, it would be one of the offseason’s most consequential player swaps because both teams would be betting on a different kind of value. The Sparks would be choosing experience and defense. The Sky would be choosing age, upside and a player who is still only 24.
