When the Sky make their picks in the WNBA Draft on Monday, it won’t be nearly as thrilling as it was when they landed franchise pillars Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso a year ago, but it will be another significant step in their rebuild.
As they continue to look to expand a young core led by Reese and Cordoso, the Sky traded for the No. 11 pick Sunday in a deal with the Lynx. They now hold back-to-back selections at Nos. 10 and 11.
The Sky landed the extra pick in exchange for nixing a provision agreed to in a trade last year that gave the Lynx the right to swap first-round spots with the Sky in 2026. Now the Lynx own the Sky’s 2026 first-round pick outright, in addition to their own.
Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said he made the trade because he believed in the depth of this draft class.
The Nos. 10 and 11 picks likely will put the Sky in range of players such as South Carolina’s Sania Feagin, North Carolina State’s Aziaha James and Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore. They also have two second-round picks at Nos. 16 and 22 overall.
They originally were slotted to pick No. 3 overall, but they traded that pick to the Mystics in February for two-time All-Star guard Ariel Atkins.
The Sky gradually have worked to regather themselves in the years since their 2021 championship. They plunged to 13-27 last season, their worst record since their inaugural season, but adding Cardoso with the No. 3 pick and Reese with the No. 7 pick a year ago gave them a solid base upon which to build.
Reese was an All-Star and the only player other than Fever sensation Caitlin Clark to get a vote for Rookie of the Year last season, and Cardoso joined her as an all-rookie team selection.
The Wings are picking first and are expected to choose three-time All-America point guard Paige Bueckers from UConn.
The Sky still have a first-round pick next year by way of a previous trade. They own the rights to the Mercury’s first-round selection and hold an option to swap it with the Sun’s.