The Sky now have two picks in the first round at Nos. 10 and 11 overall
On the eve of the 2025 WNBA Draft, we have a trade that will shake up the end of the first round. Late Sunday, the Chicago Sky announced that they have acquired the No. 11 overall pick from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick.
The official terms of the deal will extinguish the Lynx’s rights to swap first-round picks with the Sky in the 2026 draft, which they had acquired last year in a separate trade between the teams ahead of the 2024 draft. Now, the Lynx will receive the Sky’s first-round pick in 2026 outright without having to give up their own.
“We believe the 2025 draft class is deep and we’re excited about the flexibility we obtain by acquiring another first-round pick this year,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a press release. “The No. 11 pick represents another route to improve our roster.”
The Sky have been wheeling and dealing this offseason, and previously sent the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft and a 2027 first-round swap to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Ariel Atkins. They also own the Connecticut Sun’s first-round pick this year, which checks in at No. 10, via the Marina Mabrey trade.
Pagliocca told reporters during a conference call on Thursday that the decision to move out of the lottery back in February had nothing to do with this year’s draft class.
“The decision to try to go get Ariel Atkins was an Ariel Atkins decision, not due to the strength of the draft,” Pagliocca said. “If anything, it just shows how, how much we’re dedicated and how much we believe in her to move such a strong pick.
Moving back into the first round certainly reinforces Pagliocca’s statement. Following the trade with the Lynx, the Sky now have back-to-back picks at Nos. 10 and 11 on Monday night.
