New WNBA Rumors Inside Angel Reese's Trade to Dream After Controversy with Sky

The Chicago Sky and star Angel Reese collaborated to formulate her trade to the Atlanta Dream, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kendra Andrews.

The Sky announced Monday they sent the third-year forward to the Atlanta Dream for a pair of first-round picks.

Philippou and Andrews reported that Reese didn't request an exit, and she left on good terms with the Sky, who "worked closely with her team to find her a new home."

Some wondered whether Reese's days in Chicago were numbered when she gave a candid interview questioning the team's roster construction and raising concerns about ownership's commitment. In terms of the latter, she merely echoed what others have said for years as the absence of a dedicated practice facility has long been a hindrance to the organization.

But it doesn't sound as though Reese reached a breaking point and forced the Sky's hand.

Instead, the front office seems to want to wipe the slate clean, and that can come in two different forms.

With nearly every veteran player in the league hitting free agency, Chicago at least has a path to totally transforming its roster and becoming a contender overnight. Kamilla Cardoso, Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld are the only three players under contract, so the Sky have a lot of roster spots to fill and a ton of cash to burn.

The trouble is that Chicago has struggled to be a draw for marquee free agents. Candace Parker is the biggest signing in franchise history, and her local roots were the biggest factor behind her decision rather than anything the Sky were doing.

Trying to build a contender through free agency risks putting the team squarely in the dreaded zone of being too good for the lottery but not good enough to win a playoff series. That's not where you want to be with the kind of talent that will enter the league in 2027.

A total rebuild, meanwhile, will be a tough sell to a fanbase that watched the Sky win 23 games between 2024 and 2025 before trading away their most popular player.

Chicago is also missing the kind of young star who fits as a long-term cornerstone, and it doesn't have a straightforward path to getting one this offseason. The Sky own the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 draft, which isn't where you typically get perennial All-Stars.

So the vision could be finishing near the bottom of the league for a third successive season in the hope the savior arrives in the 2027 draft.

No matter how you cut it, things aren't looking great in the Windy City for the short term.