Angel Reese Trade Grades: Atlanta Dream Fleece Chicago Sky in Blockbuster Deal for Young Star

Just days before WNBA free agency, the Chicago Sky are sending Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream, a move first reported by NBA on Prime's Taylor Rooks.

The Sky will receive 2027 and 2028 first-round picks from the Dream in exchange for the two-time All-Star. Atlanta also picks up a 2028 second-round pick swap as part of the return—but more on that shortly.

Reese, a two-time All-Star still on her rookie deal, is the youngest star traded in WNBA history at only 23 years old. If she makes an All-WNBA team this season, she could be eligible for a max or supermax extension as soon as next offseason under the league's new EPIC rule.

So, what does it all mean for both sides? Let's grade the trade.

Atlanta Dream: A+

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If you can add an All-Star-caliber player like Reese before she even hits her prime, it's a no-brainer. For Atlanta, this trade makes too much sense in both the short and long term.

Reese is the greatest rebounder in WNBA history and one of the best frontcourt passers in the sport. She's a lethal grab-and-go threat with the ball skills to burst to the rim in transition or find a teammate with a hit ahead pass. 

Last season, Reese made massive strides as an on-ball creator, shooting over 50 percent from the field out of isolation—the most efficient mark for any big outside of Alyssa Thomas. 

The biggest change now is the context around her. Reese never really had consistent spacing in Chicago, but that's no longer the case with Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Te-Hina Paopao in Atlanta. 

Under head coach Karl Smesko, she'll have far more room to operate, and there are real ways to weaponize it. Atlanta can get creative with inverted pick-and-rolls, using Howard and Gray as screeners, or flip it with Reese screening and operating out of the short roll as a decision-maker.

There's a lot to like defensively, too. Reese was solid in Chicago, but she often had to carry too much of the offensive load and didn't have enough complementary defensive talent to actualize her potential on that end. In Atlanta, she can toggle between the 4 and the 5, and her athleticism gives them the flexibility to switch everything when they go small.

Like come on, what are offensive teams supposed to do with a lineup of Howard, Gray, Reese and Naz Hillmon.

If there are any concerns, it's how Reese fits offensively next to Brionna Jones if she re-signs. But Atlanta already showed it can make the Brittney Griner-Jones frontcourt work, and Reese is just far more impactful at this stage of Griner's career. 

To go with the incredible on-court and culture fit, Atlanta didn't even have to give up any real meaningful assets to get it done. Keeping Paopao, Naz Hillmon and the No. 13 pick in this year's draft is huge. There's also Isobel Borlase, Atlanta's No. 20 pick in 2024, who just became the WNBL's youngest MVP in over 15 years. 

For a team to land a young All-Star and still hold onto that kind of young talent and draft capital is just absurd.

Chicago Sky: F

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If there's anything general manager Jeff Pagliocca has done well since he was hired in October 2023, it's finding a way to get fleeced in every single trade. To this point, unbelievably poor asset management and talent evaluation have been the theme of his tenure.

According to ESPN's Alexa Philippou, Reese didn't even request a trade from Chicago, but the Sky worked closely with her team to find a new home. 

It's possible Atlanta was just her preferred destination. However, Reese is under team control through 2028; there shouldn't have been a rush to get this done. This is your franchise star, not any role player.

Chicago didn't just send out Reese, either. They also gave up the right to swap their 2028 second-round pick. With Chicago likely picking near the bottom and Atlanta near the top, this trade essentially amounts to a late 2027 first and moving up just a few spots in 2028 for a player of Reese's caliber.

From Chicago's side, it's hard to justify not getting at least one of Paopao or Borlase back in the deal.

Some might say this was about setting up for the JuJu Watkins sweepstakes in 2027, but that's close to impossible at this point after Chicago moved the No. 3 pick in 2025 (Sonia Citron) and a 2027 first-round swap for Ariel Atkins.

The Sky could still land Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, Texas' Madison Booker or LSU's Mikaylah Williams, but none are on Watkins' level as a prospect.

Over the last two years, Chicago helped Minnesota land the No. 2 pick in this year's draft in the 2024 Reese trade-up, made Atlanta a more dangerous team while extending its contending window and look at Washington, too. The Sky may have handed the Mystics a perennial MVP candidate and an All-Star, only for this front office to trade Reese for a lackluster package anyway.

Now without any building blocks on the roster, Chicago is probably going to have to overpay to land any quality free agents. It's not ideal to be entering the most important WNBA free-agency period in league history, with more money flying around than ever, without any leverage at all.

But hey, they have a practice facility now. At least there's that to pitch to free agents.