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The Chicago Sky decided to put Ariel Atkins alongside Angel Reese for the upcoming season. The Sky had the third pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and could potentially pick Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Sonia Citron and formed a trio with veteran Courtney Vandersloot and Reese.
However, Chicago traded for the Washington Mystics player for the 2025 number-three overall pick, 2027 second-round pick and 2027 first-round pick swap. The move not only put the Sky in a win-now situation but also in a critical position to have gambled away their future draft pick leverage.
Vandersloot is a two-time WNBA champion and an all-time great point guard. If the Sky had drafted Citron, Vandersloot would not only have made her transition easy but would have also formed a lethal combination with Reese and the versatile college guard.
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The move drew criticism from many, including WNBA analyst Andrew Haubner. In conversation with Seerat Sohi on "The Ringer WNBA Show" on Wednesday, Haubner said that he was baffled by the notion among people that 6-foot-1 Citron was overrated.
The WNBA analyst said that it would make sense if Angel Reese or Kamila Cardoso asked the Sky front office to make the move and if they thought the move was to win right now. However, for Haubner, drafting Sonia Citron would have made more sense both from a salary and future standpoint.
"I am stunned at how many people feel that Sonia Citron is overrated," Haubner said. "I didn't know people were so down on her as a player and I get it. I get the idea of her getting her possible ceiling immediately and although you are taking on wonky capspace here with Atkins, you are getting a higher floor to contend to win."
"But ultimately, my resting belief in all basketball knowledge, you need three stars and the best chance you have to have a core of three stars at decent rate contracts to build around them is you do it through the draft. We have already seen it happen." [40:00]
Ariel Atkins is Angel Reese's teammate with the Rose BC at Unrivaled. They have built a great relationship in the past few months. However, there is no indication that Reese wanted Chicago Sky to make the trade.
WNBA legend Diana Taurasi shouts out to Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark after retirement
Diana Taurasi, who recently announced her retirement from basketball, sent a big shoutout to the upcoming faces of women's basketball.
In her recent appearance on ABC's "The View," Taurasi expressed her satisfaction with the media's coverage of women's sports. She also praised young athletes like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who could tell their stories from an early age.
"I think it's a challenge for women, for us to support each other. As we know, we are going to long lengths to make sure all women's sports are on TV ... That's the thing that's more important. It's visibility.
"When you learn about these athletes of the world at an early age, the Caitlin Clark's and the Angel Reese's and the Paige's [Bueckers]. Like you get to follow their stories."
Diana Taurasi believes that athletes like Reese and Clark gain greater exposure among fans, as social media plays a crucial role in the growth of women's basketball.
