The Sparks may be making a big change, and a big risk, after a long-awaited offseason.
According to Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, LA is reportedly discussing a trade with the Sky that would send Rickea Jackson to Chicago for Ariel Atkins. The deal is not done, but it appears to be pretty far along.
On the surface, this is a bit of a head-scratcher for the Sparks. Jackson is coming off a sophomore season in which she started slow before really finding her groove later in the season. She ended up averaging 14.7 points per game, an improvement from her rookie campaign, though it came on worse shooting from the field.
However, from July 5 to the end of the season, a span of 25 games, Jackson averaged
On the flip side, Ariel Atkins struggled throughout the season for the Sky. While she finished the year averaging right at her career marks in scoring (13.1 points per game), rebounding (3.4) and 3-point shooting (36.1%), she came into Chicago with high expectations after the team traded multiple firsts, including the No. 3 overall pick, for her.
It would certainly be buying low on Atkins, who was an All-Defense guard for her first five seasons in the league and a two-time All-Star in 2021 and 2022. In a vacuum, there could be some logic there, especially considering how big a mess the situation was in Chicago last season.
However, it would not be selling high on Jackson, who is still just 24 years old and one of the bright young stars for the franchise. Brought in alongside Cameron Brink, Jackson has been one of the positives over the last two season for LA.
There’s an argument that Atkins could be a better fit for the Sparks than Jackson. LA finished middle of the pack last year in 3-point shooting and Atkins could help bolster that. Jackson is not a natural 3-point shooter, though she still shot above average from range last season at 34.8%.
But you really have to stretch some arguments to get a sense of how this is a good deal for the Sparks.
With the deal still in discussions, perhaps a third team gets looped in or there is more coming back to Los Angeles in the deal because a straight player swap would be an interesting start to the offseason.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
