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  "path": "/chicago-sky/2026/04/07/sky-extend-core-qualifying-offer-to-guard-ariel-atkins",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-07T17:22:09.106Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>The <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky\" target=\"_blank\" >Sky</a> have extended a core qualifying offer to guard Ariel Atkins, according to the WNBA transactions page.</p><p>A core qualifying offer is a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth the supermax, which is reported to be $1.4 million in the new collective-bargaining agreement. </p><p>Atkins was the Sky’s third-leading scorer last season (13.1 points per game) and their best perimeter defender. She’s now an unrestricted free agent. </p><p>However, getting the core designation from the Sky means she can't negotiate with other teams in free agency.</p><p>The supermax would be attractive financially for Atkins, given those deals typically go to a select few superstars. It just depends whether Atkins wants to take a bet on a team that went 10-34 last season.</p><p>At the end of the dismal 2025 season, Atkins told the Sun-Times she was still undecided about her future.</p><p>The good news for the Sky is that even if Atkins declines the offer, she won’t be able to walk away for nothing. Per the rules of the core designation, she and the Sky can negotiate a move elsewhere via a sign-and-trade agreement.</p><p>That matters because the Sky traded the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft to the Mystics to get Atkins. That pick became Sonia Citron, who was named to the All-Star team in her first season.</p><p>The deal didn't age well. The core designation is its saving grace.</p><p><b> </b>For the Sky to execute a sign-and-trade with Atkins, she would need to sign at a contract value lower than the supermax, per the rules of the new CBA.</p><p>The Sky also extended a reserved qualifying offer to point guard Sevgi Uzun. Uzun joined the Sky on a rest-of-season contract in 2025 and had a limited impact.</p><p></p><p></p><bsp-list-loadmore class=\"PageListH\" data-module data-hide-authors=\"true\" data-hide-categories=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" data-show-loadmore=\"true\" ><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"list-010001\" name=\"list-010001\"></a><div class=\"PageList-header\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title-wrap\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title\"> Latest on the Sky and WNBA </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items\" data-with-borders data-list-loadmore-items> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Angel Reese is gone, the Bulls are starting over and another Cubs pitcher is hurt? Been one heck of a day\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2026/04/06/angel-reese-traded-sky-dream-wnba-bulls-arturas-karnisovas-marc-eversley-cubs-matthew-boyd\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/afbcb42/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3936x2635+0+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F7e%2Fad%2F042fe80141d0ba14466e02b8b6cd%2Fap25201082893086.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0eb3f60/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3936x2635+0+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F7e%2Fad%2F042fe80141d0ba14466e02b8b6cd%2Fap25201082893086.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"The Sky's Angel Reese, left, shoots against Washington Mystics' Kiki Iriafen during the second half of the WNBA All-Star Game, Saturday, July 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. \" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0eb3f60/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3936x2635+0+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F7e%2Fad%2F042fe80141d0ba14466e02b8b6cd%2Fap25201082893086.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists\" >Columnists</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2026/04/06/angel-reese-traded-sky-dream-wnba-bulls-arturas-karnisovas-marc-eversley-cubs-matthew-boyd\" >Angel Reese is gone, the Bulls are starting over and another Cubs pitcher is hurt? Been one heck of a day</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">Holy sports meltdown, Chicago.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1775512719000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/steve-greenberg\" >Steve Greenberg </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"665\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Sky trade Angel Reese to Dream for first-round draft picks in 2027, 2028\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/04/06/sky-trade-angel-reese-to-atlanta-dream-for-2027-2028-draft-picks\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/71fcfa2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2837x1899+0+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F6e%2F17%2F8fbfd39b4ad9a3d25ae01ccbe8e9%2F2232107425.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4a84b59/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2837x1899+0+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F6e%2F17%2F8fbfd39b4ad9a3d25ae01ccbe8e9%2F2232107425.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Sky forward Angel Reese dribbles up the court against the Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena on August 25, 2025. \" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4a84b59/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2837x1899+0+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F6e%2F17%2F8fbfd39b4ad9a3d25ae01ccbe8e9%2F2232107425.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky\" >Sky</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/04/06/sky-trade-angel-reese-to-atlanta-dream-for-2027-2028-draft-picks\" >Sky trade Angel Reese to Dream for first-round draft picks in 2027, 2028</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">For a two-time All-Star and a pillar of the franchise, the return is a pittance.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1775492711000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/alissa-hirsh\" >Alissa Hirsh </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"627\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Portland, Toronto lay foundations in the WNBA expansion draft\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/wnba/2026/04/03/wnba-expansion-draft-portland-toronto-sky\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9ca047b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4335x2902+17+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F44%2F32f659d14ccba90ecd9cced8e412%2Fap25267627070891.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f6e6a3a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4335x2902+17+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F44%2F32f659d14ccba90ecd9cced8e412%2Fap25267627070891.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton reacts to a shot against the Phoenix Mercury during the second half of Game 2 of a playoff semifinals series on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. \" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f6e6a3a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4335x2902+17+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F44%2F32f659d14ccba90ecd9cced8e412%2Fap25267627070891.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/wnba\" >WNBA</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/wnba/2026/04/03/wnba-expansion-draft-portland-toronto-sky\" >Portland, Toronto lay foundations in the WNBA expansion draft</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">On Wednesday, the Sky announced trades with the Fire and the Tempo, which prevented the expansion teams from selecting Sky players.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1775258466000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/associated-press\" >AP </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"478\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageList-footer\"> </div> </bsp-list-loadmore><p></p>",
  "title": "Sky extend core qualifying offer to guard Ariel Atkins",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-07T18:25:01.911Z"
}