Rickea Jackson has emerged as a central name in 2026 WNBA offseason movement, with reports linking the LA Sparks forward to a potential trade.
According to Front Office Sports, the Sparks and Sky are close to a deal that would send Jackson to Chicago in exchange for Chicago guard Ariel Atkins, though no agreement has been finalized.
The potential trade would mark one of the offseason's more notable transactions. Jackson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, is coming off a strong second season in LA. She averaged 14.7 points per game in 2025 while finishing ninth in MVP voting.
That production positioned Jackson as a key piece for the Sparks moving forward. She earned All-Rookie honors in 2024 and showed steady growth, particularly in the 2025 WNBA season's second half.
Receiving Atkins would provide LA's roster with veteran experience. Atkins is a two-time WNBA All-Star and one of the league's top perimeter defenders, bringing tested shooting skills to a Sparks team that struggled from 3-point range.
Still, the rumored deal raises as many questions as it does answers for LA. Jackson departing would signal a shift away from building around a young scorer in favor of adding defensive stability.
For the Sky, timing matters. Chicago has already reshaped its roster this week, including young superstar Angel Reese's blockbuster trade, pointing to a broader team reset.
Whether or not the deal materializes, the Rickea Jackson trade rumors reflecs both her value as a player and teams' shifting priorities as they navigate a new WNBA CBA within a rapidly changing roster landscape.
The Chicago Sky traded Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream on Monday, showing how the WNBA's new CBA is already shaping player salaries — especially for young stars on rookie contracts.
Two-time WNBA All-Star Reese remains on rookie deal after averaging 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds through her first two seasons. This includes back-to-back years leading the league in rebounding.
Entering her third season, Reese would have earned just over $75,000 under the previous CBA. That number reflects the current structure, where top draft picks are locked into scale deals early into their careers.
However, her situation will change in Atlanta. With the new CBA adjustments, Reese's salary is expected jump to roughly $350,692, according to Spotrac.
Even before the deal became official, Reese called attention to the league's salary disparities, explaining how it influenced player negotiations.
"Everybody wants to play but all of us want to play at what we should be compensated for," Reese said from USA Basketball training camp. "So we're just going to continue to negotiate. Negotiation is not easy."
The new CBA raises salaries across the league, especially for players outperforming rookie contracts. And Reese's recent trade shows just how quickly those changes can make an impact.
What's Next for Angel Reese Under the New CBA
The Dream now holds a team option for 2027 worth $396,282. If Reese earns All-WNBA honors this season, she subsequently becomes eligible for a maximum contract with potential to reach $1.4 million.
And that leap could become a reality. Reese is a two-time All-Star, having led the league in rebounding in each of her first two seasons while earning All-Rookie honors in 2024.
Atlanta benefits from that structure. Reese's salary sits at roughly 5% of the $7 million cap — well below the league's projected $583,000 average salary. That cost control gives the Dream flexibility as it continues roster-building via free agency.
The Angel Reese era in Chicago ended Monday, as the Sky traded its young WNBA superstar to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for future draft capital.
Atlanta acquired the two-time WNBA All-Star in exchange for its 2027 and 2028 first-round picks. Chicago also received a 2028 second-round pick swap.
Reese dominated the glass during her two seasons with the Sky after being drafted seventh overall in 2024. The LSU product led the WNBA in rebounds per game through both years as a pro, becoming the only player in league history to average at least 12.0 rebounds per game in a season—accomplishing the feat twice.
The 23-year-old forward averaged 14.0 points and 12.8 rebounds across her first two professional seasons while recording 49 career double-doubles. She set WNBA rookie records with 13.1 rebounds per game and 15 consecutive double-doubles in 2024.
Reese Exits Chicago After Last Season's 'Tribune' Fallout
Chicago initially banked on Reese's partnership with fellow 2024 recruit Kamilla Cardoso, but the relationship soured last fall. Reese criticized the struggling organization in the Chicago Tribune, which led to a half-game suspension.
"I'd like to be here for my career, but if things don't pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction," Reese told the Chicago newspaper.
Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko sees Reese as a perfect fit for the Dream's system following their historic 2025 season that produced a franchise-best 30 wins.
"Angel's ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor is elite," Smesko said in a team statement. "Her energy, toughness and instincts will thrive in our system."
What's Next for Angel Reese in Atlanta
The Dream dramatically improved from its offensive rating under Smesko's leadership.
"I'm beyond grateful for the opportunity to join the Atlanta Dream organization," Reese said. "I'm focused on continuing to grow my game, competing at the highest level, connecting with the fans, and giving everything I've got to the Dream."
Reese is expected to join her new team ahead of April 25th's preseason tipoff, entering an Atlanta roster featuring Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Sixth Player of the Year Naz Hillmon.
The Dream is slated to open the 2026 WNBA season on May 10th, as Atlanta takes on the Minnesota Lynx.
With the CBA well on its way to becoming official, WNBA teams are announcing 2026 preseason exhibition matchups in the ramp-up to the league's 30th season.
On Monday, the Phoenix Mercury dropped plans for two preseason games, starting with an April 25th friendly against the Chicago Sky in Sioux Falls.
The clash will mark the first-ever WNBA game in South Dakota, with the game's historic location coming in part to honor the local ties that Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts and assistant coach Megan Vogel have to Sioux Falls.
The Mercury will then return to Phoenix to host an exhibition against the Japan women's national team on April 29th — the pair's third-ever meeting and first since 2013.
The international friendly isn't the only one on the WNBA's 2026 preseason docket, with Nigeria set to face both the LA Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx next month. The Sparks' April 25th friendly will make LA the first-ever WNBA team to play an African national team, before the Lynx host the visitors on April 27th.
The WNBA preseason will tip off on Saturday, April 25th, capping a whirlwind of activity spanning a two-team expansion draft, college draft, and free agency period.
ESPN reported the first step in the crammed lead-up to the 2026 season on Monday, with the league giving its veteran teams from April 1st through the 5th to finalize their player protection lists before the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo stock their rosters in an expansion draft on Monday, April 6th.
The Chicago Sky is under legal fire, as minority partner Steven Rogers filed a lawsuit last week alleging majority owner Michael Alter "breached his fiduciary duty to the minority investors" by devaluing the WNBA team for his own benefit.
The complaint claims that in 2022 — months after Chicago won their lone WNBA championship — Alter engaged in "opportunistic self-dealing," diluting minority shares in the lead-up to a 2023 funding round that saw MLB's Cubs owner Laura Ricketts buy into the team at an $85 million valuation.
In late 2025, Forbes ranked the Sky as the world's 12th most valuable women's sports franchise at $240 million — a significant turnaround from that 2023 valuation despite three consecutive losing seasons.
The current lawsuit also puts Alter's Chicago Sky leadership in the hot seat, accusing the commercial real estate developer of going rogue without a board of directors.
"As a business, Alter's operation has been a mess," reads the filing. "Throughout his tenure, Alter flouted the agreement's basic requirements and minimal standards for business operations."
Alter's legal representation countered with their own statement. "We are aware of the lawsuit filed last week by an early Chicago Sky investor. The lawsuit is completely meritless. We look forward to defending our case through the appropriate legal channels and believe this matter will be disposed of quickly. This matter will not affect the Sky's operations. Because this is active litigation, neither Mr. Alter nor the Chicago Sky will be commenting further."
The Chicago Sky will open their 2026 season by visiting incoming expansion side Portland Fire on Saturday, May 9th.
However, as the season nears and CBA negotiations stall, internal issues continue to overshadow what promises to be a pivotal year for the WNBA.
WNBA star Angel Reese is lighting up the silver screen, with the Chicago Sky forward racking up multiple film and TV credits during the league's offseason.
On Tuesday, Netflix revealed that Reese will play a character called "Trainer Barbie" in the second season of the streamer's hit show, The Hunting Wives.
Already a fan of the series, Reese's told Hunting Wives creator Rebecca Cutter to "just let me know if you need me for season 2" on X last summer — a conversation that helped spark the basketball star's casting.
Tuesday's news follows last week's announcement that Reese and Las Vegas Aces star center A'ja Wilson will each voice a role in the upcoming animated film GOAT, produced by the NBA's Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry.
When the film hits theaters on February 13th, fans will see Reese as Propp, a polar bear, while Wilson plays a reptile called Kouyate.
Reese first opened her acting portfolio by playing herself in a cameo in the October 2025 Netflix film A House of Dynamite, with Hunting Wives marking the 23-year-old's first foray into a scripted series.
The eight-episode second season of the Netflix show is currently in production, though a premiere date is still unknown.
The 2026 WNBA schedule has arrived, as the league released key dates on Wednesday despite ongoing CBA talks that threaten to delay the start of the upcoming season.
Opening day will be Friday, May 8th, when the WNBA tips off with a tripleheader featuring incoming expansion side Toronto Tempo against the Washington Mystics, the New York Liberty hosting the Connecticut Sun, and the Golden State Valkyries visiting the Seattle Storm.
Fellow 2026 addition Portland Fire will debut on Saturday, May 9th, hosting the Chicago Sky to close out another tripleheader that includes a 2025 WNBA Finals rematch between the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, as well as a Rookie of the Year showdown between the Paige Bueckers-led Dallas Wings and Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever.
Other 2026 season highlights include the return of the annual WNBA Commissioner's Cup in June and the Chicago Sky-hosted All-Star Weekend in late July, with the league set to pause for a two-week break in early September to allow its stars to compete in the FIBA World Cup.
After the regular-season closes on Thursday, September 24th, the 2026 WNBA Playoffs will tip off on Sunday, September 27th, with a repeat of last year's best-of-three first round, best-of-five semifinals round, and best-of-seven Finals.
Notably, the 2026 WNBA schedule drop falls within the current status quo period, which allows the league to conduct certain aspects of its business as usual under the old CBA while continuing to negotiate new terms with the players union.
"I'm just starting to see [the light at the end of the tunnel]," New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart told Front Office Sports this week, hinting at a bargaining resolution while an official work stoppage remains on the table.
Retired WNBA icon Sylvia Fowles is returning to the court, with ESPN reporting on Wednesday that the former Minnesota Lynx star center will join the staff of the Portland Fire, becoming an assistant coach for the 2026 expansion team.
After reportedly fielding multiple offers of WNBA coaching opportunities, the 40-year-old will back up recently announced Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama during the team's debut season, with the opportunity to help mold a fresh league roster and create culture from day one serving as a deciding factor in Fowles choosing the expansion franchise.
The 2025 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee's resume underlines her ability to make an impact from the sideline, as the beloved WNBA alum packs both championship experience and a defensive mindset to aid a team still forming its identity.
In a 14-year playing career split between the Chicago Sky and Minnesota, the 2017 WNBA MVP won two league titles, earning Finals MVP honors alongside each of those Lynx championships.
A four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Fowles exited her pro career as the league's all-time rebounds leader with 4,007 boards — a stat that held until current Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles passed the Hall of Famer in September 2024.
The eight-time All-Star also shined on the international stage, as Fowles snagged four Olympic gold medals during her time with Team USA.
Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is running it back, with the 23-year-old confirming plans to return to the Windy City for the 2026 WNBA season while participating in a USA Basketball training camp over the weekend.
"I'm under contract, so yes, I plan on returning to the Sky," Reese told reporters. "[I'm] continuing to talk to [head coach] Tyler [Marsh], and building that relationship with [GM] Jeff [Pagliocca] and Tyler."
Her future with the Sky came into question in September, after the front office suspended Reese for half a game for making comments deemed "detrimental to the team" in a Chicago Tribune interview — comments she later apologized for, both publicly and privately.
Drafted by the Sky as the overall No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the LSU alum remains under a rookie contract through 2026, with an option to extend through the 2027 season.
After leading the WNBA in both double-doubles (23) rebounds-per-game (12.6) in the 2025 season, Reese's late-season availability waned due to a back injury — though the forward now reports a full recovery from the knock.
"Angel is an ascending young talent in this league who's had two very, very good seasons here in Chicago," said Pagliocca after September's suspension. "Obviously, we went through what we did. I feel like we closed the chapter on it."
Dallas has once again jumped to the front of the line, as the Wings locked down the No. 1 overall pick at the 2026 WNBA Draft, scoring the top draft selection for the second straight year at Sunday's lottery.
The Wings selected UConn star guard Paige Bueckers with last year's No. 1 pick, with the NCAA champion going on to win 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
"We've got an exciting young group, and we really bond together," said Dallas Wings forward and 2023's overall No. 3 draftee Maddy Siegrist. "I'm excited to bring someone else in."
In the rest of Sunday night's 2026 lottery results, the league's rich got richer, with 2025 WNBA playoff contenders the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm claiming the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, respectively, after both teams gained draft assets via trades.
The Washington Mystics will boost their already impressive young roster with the fourth draft pick in April, while the Chicago Sky snagged the fifth and final lottery spot on Sunday.
With 2026 WNBA season expanding to 15 teams, the league's two incoming expansion sides — the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire — will select in the Nos. 6 and 7 spots.
As for the 2026 class, top NCAA prospects including UConn guard Azzi Fudd, UCLA center Lauren Betts, and TCU guard Olivia Miles — as well as international star Awa Fam from Spain — are likely to earn early selections in April's WNBA Draft.