The Chicago Sky traded their next two first-round picks, impacting their chances to select top prospects JuJu Watkins and Sarah Strong. General manager Jeff Pagliocca is focusing on immediate team success rather than future lottery luck.
Key points
Chicago Sky traded their next two first-round picks
General manager Jeff Pagliocca prioritizes immediate success
Sky acquired Rickea Jackson and Jacy Sheldon through trades
JuJu Watkins and Sarah Strong are projected top picks
Sky's future draft strategy is affected by these trades
CHICAGO â General manager Jeff Pagliocca isnât leaving the Chicago Skyâs future success up to lottery luck.
The Sky donât own their first-round pick in the next two drafts thanks to separate deals with the Washington Mystics. Pagliocca included a pick swap in 2027 as part of last yearâs trade for Ariel Atkins, a deal that also included sending the No. 3 pick in 2025 to the Mystics â and ultimately concluded with the Skyâs acquisition of Rickea Jackson last week in exchange for Atkins. The Sky traded their 2028 first-rounder last week for guard Jacy Sheldon.
Lottery picks are consequential in any draft, but the 2027 and 2028 lotteries hold a different weight because of projected No. 1 picks JuJu Watkins of USC and Sarah Strong of Connecticut.
Both players are considered transformational, pro-ready stars whose arrival in the WNBA has been anticipated since before they even made their college debuts. This might feel a bit repetitive in a league that welcomed No. 1 picks Caitlin Clark in 2024 and Paige Bueckers in 2025, but Watkins and Strong are dynamic players who should be instant stars.
Without owning their first-round pick in either draft, the Sky donât have a likely path to landing either star, unless both the Sky and Mystics miss the playoffs this year. The Sky do own the Atlanta Dreamâs next two first-rounders from the trade, but the Dream are projected to be title contenders with their picks likely falling well outside the lottery.
Q&A
Why did the Chicago Sky trade their first-round picks?
The Chicago Sky traded their first-round picks to acquire players like Rickea Jackson and Jacy Sheldon, prioritizing immediate team success.
Who are JuJu Watkins and Sarah Strong?
JuJu Watkins is a projected No. 1 pick from USC, and Sarah Strong is a top prospect from Connecticut, both highly regarded for the upcoming drafts.
What trades led to the Sky losing their first-round picks?
The Sky lost their first-round picks due to trades with the Washington Mystics, including a deal for Ariel Atkins and another for Jacy Sheldon.
What is the significance of the 2027 and 2028 drafts for the Sky?
The 2027 and 2028 drafts are significant for the Sky because they include potential No. 1 picks, which could greatly impact the team's future.
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The Sky finished in the lottery the last two years after going a combined 23-61 in 2024 and â25. If this trend continues, by trading away his upcoming first-rounders, Pagliocca risked pulling the Sky out of contention for either Watkins or Strong.
Why? The short answer comes down to organizational ethos. At his core, Pagliocca doesnât believe in planning to lose. The Sky wonât tank under this front office, something he has emphatically stated since he was hired after the 2023 season.
âWeâre going to remain in win-now mode as long as Iâm here,â Pagliocca said Wednesday in a news conference introducing new players.
Itâs important to understand how much losing is necessary to land a No. 1 pick in the WNBA. The Sky have yet to have the top pick after more than two decades in the league â and for good reason. Teams such as the Dallas Wings (2025-26) and Indiana Fever (2023-24) that landed back-to-back No. 1 picks did so by losing at an alarming rate.
First, a team has to be one of the seven teams to miss the playoffs (and it was five teams last year and four before that pre-expansion). But unlike the NBA, draft lottery odds are based on a two-year record in an effort to prevent serious tanking. That means the Sky likely would have had to lose 34 or more games each of the next two seasons to make a 2028 lottery pick worth their while.
Itâs important to understand the sequencing of these decisions. The Sky arenât suddenly trying to win because they donât want the 2027 pick swap to be triggered; Pagliocca made that trade because he didnât believe the Sky would finish behind the Mystics and felt they werenât risking the loss of a higher draft pick. Itâs a simple gamble but an essential one.
After three straight losing seasons and two straight out of the playoffs, the Sky never were going to settle in for tanking regardless of the quality of the potential No. 1 picks. Tanking is a risk in the WNBA, in which the drop-off between a No. 1 and No. 5 pick is often significant. Itâs even harder during expansion seasons, when new teams often finish at the bottom of the standings because of a lack of experience and depth.
But still, a team should keep its own first-rounder as a fallback plan, right?
Even if a front office isnât attempting to build through the lottery, first-round picks are crucial bargaining chips in future trades. And a 2028 pick with the possibility of being a lottery pick could gain value if Watkins (or other top-rated players) opt to stay in college for an additional year. On the flip side, the Skyâs pick could begin to devalue if they win enough games this season, deflating their potential lottery odds.
There are risks either way. If the Sky miss the playoffs this year and the Mystics donât, the Sky will be sending away another lottery pick. Perhaps a better offer could have been found with a little more patience.
But Pagliocca is a dealer, an executive who prefers to stay on the move and keep busy on the phones â and, at times, perhaps take on extra risk as a result.
âI donât know, sometimes the mood strikes me and youâve got to go make a move,â Pagliocca joked.
This style can hurt the Sky. That was clear in this yearâs draft, when the Sky wound up forking over the No. 2 pick to the Minnesota Lynx as a result of the 2024 trade to move up one spot and draft Reese. A 10-34 season in 2025 was hard enough; not recouping the silver lining is even worse. And that deal stings even more given how short-lived Reeseâs tenure in Chicago ultimately became.
But Pagliocca couldnât let that lost venture cloud his guiding principles. And no matter the allure of future draft picks, planning to lose doesnât appeal to free agents.
Pagliocca knew as much when he began pursuing AzurĂĄ Stevens and Skylar Diggins at the start of free agency. Both players held personal reasons to come to Chicago, but neither would have bought in without faith that the Sky were committed to winning immediately rather than hedging their bets on the long term.
âThey need to feel confident that weâre going to build a team around them,â Pagliocca said. âI donât want to deal with Skylar Diggins every night if she doesnât have players that she can go to war with. We made sure they understood the vision.â
The front office isnât entirely averse to building through the draft. Pagliocca said the Sky never considered dealing this yearâs No. 5 pick, feeling certain that UCLAâs Gabriela Jaquez was an essential fit for the roster, especially after landing their top free-agent targets. But the Sky arenât hoping to hit on No. 1 â something that wonât change with Pagliocca at the helm.
If this team starts winning, the gamble would pay off immediately. The Sky hope to begin collecting on that bet when the season starts next month.
