Boy, that escalated quickly.
Thursday seemingly opened the floodgates in the women’s basketball world. Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson was traded to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Ariel Atkins in what was the biggest swap of the day. Jackie Young is set to become the first million dollar player in WNBA and women’s pro basketball history. All while there’s a flurry of transfers at the college level and coaches filling out their staffs.
Meanwhile, the WNBA officially approved expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. Just another Thursday, right?
So use this as your resource to get caught up on everything before what’s going to be another big day. Keep in mind, everything you’ll read happened yesterday alone. That’s how busy it got.
Happy scrolling!
WNBA Trades:
Chicago Sky in discussions to trade Ariel Atkins to the L.A. Sparks for Rickea Jackson (Annie Costabile)
Dallas Wings trade Diamond Miller to the Connecticut Sun for Rayah Marshall (Alexa Phillipou)
WNBA Free Agency Moves:
The IX Basketball has a free agency tracker you can check out by clicking here.
Jackie Young finalizing one year, $1.19 million deal to return to the Las Vegas Aces. She’s the league’s first million dollar player. (Alexa Phillipou)
Las Vegas Aces re-sign Kierstan Bell.
Damiras Dantas to sign with Indiana. (Roberta Rodrigues)
Mamignan Toure accepts qualifying offer with Connecticut.
Maya Caldwell accepts qualifying offer with Portland.
Transfer Commitments:
Talia Goodman of On3 and Skim Milkey (A pseudonym, for those not on Twitter) have been going band-for-band on breakers all throughout the college game. WBBBlog is also a must-follow during this time.
Divine Bourrage (LSU) commits to Illinois.
Bonnie Deas (Arkansas) commits to UCLA.
Naomi White (Northern Arizona) commits to Tennessee.
Lanie Grant (North Carolina) commits to TCU.
Mya Babbitt (Kent State) commits to Iowa State.
Grace McCallop (Cal) commits to Arkansas.
Avery Mills (Liberty) signs with Tennessee.
Transfer Announcements:
Jada Richard enters out of LSU.
Sara Barhoum enters out of Oregon.
Hilary Fuller enters out of Belmont.
Chloe Clardy enters out of Stanford.
Vivian Iwuchukwu out of USC.
Ice Brady enters out of UConn.
Coaching Changes:
Niagara head coach Jada Pierce resigns. (Niagara Gazette)
Baronton Terry hired as LIU head coach.
In Case You Missed It…
Ball Up Top, covering transfers from Talaysia Cooper to Aaliyah Crump…
Ball Up Top, covering Angel Reese to Atlanta and the Mystics GM battle.
Flash reaction of Rickea Jackson’s trade to the Chicago Sky.
For those that prefer to listen to a pod…
No Cap In The Wild (Where we’ve been guests)
Rough Notes: Holding Chicago Sky Ownership Accountable with Andrew Haubner by Maya Goldberg-Safir, Rough Notes
Good Reads From Around the WBB World
And hey, while you’re here be sure to check out our friends at Offball, a sports and culture newsletter curated by some of the best!
WNBA Players Took Their CBA Victory Lap at NCAA Women’s Final Four Weekend by Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour
Atlanta Dream trade a perfect fit for Angel Reese’s game and growing star power by Ken Malkin, Andscape
The night Geno Auriemma snapped — and Dawn Staley showed the game has changed by Jerry Brewer, The Athletic/NY Times
How the UCLA Bruins finally built an NCAA champion by Michael Voepel, ESPN
South Carolina women’s basketball star to enter WNBA draft after NCAA declines extra eligibility by Mitch Northam, USA Today
What positions do Dawn Staley, South Carolina need via transfer portal? by Lulu Kesin, Greenville News
Spain’s Latest Star Awa Fam Details Her Journey Ahead of the 2026 WNBA Draft by Deyscha Smith, SLAM Magazine
Inside Final Four Reporting: I Shot My Shot and Found the Story Outside the Stat Sheet by Rob Knox, for his Substack
2026 WNBA Core Decisions by Richard Cohen, Her Hoops Stats
Rough Notes: The Legend of Chi-Town Barbie by Maya Goldberg-Safir, Rough Notes
Portland Fire Finally Have Basketball Players Ahead of Inaugural WNBA Season by Sean Highkin, Rose Garden Report
UCLA did it, and did so in unbelievable fashion by Wyatt Crosher, the Hoopla Newsletter
