Angel Reese drops instant trade reaction as Chicago Sky superstar is first domino to fall in new WNBA era

Angel Reese is headed to the Atlanta Dream.

After months of CBA negotiations, and on the first day of the new WNBA league year, the bombshell news on one of the league’s biggest names dropped.

Getty

After just two seasons, the Chicago Sky have decided to move on from their superstar forward as they attempt to rebuild the franchise which has recorded 23 wins across the last two seasons.

According to WNBA insider and “NBA on Prime” broadcaster Taylor Rooks, the Sky have received two first-round picks in the 2027 and 2028 drafts in return for Reese.

The blockbuster move signals the first huge domino to fall in the 2026 offseason, following on from the era-defining deal struck between the WNBA Players Union (WNBPA) and the league on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Shortly after the deal was announced, Reese took to social media where she posted: “An Angel’s DREAM TL WHAT UP?! @AtlantaDream”

The Sky posted a series of thanks to Reese, with General Manager Jeff Pagliocca writing, via their official X account: “The Sky are trading Angel to the Dream in exchange for two first-round picks.

“This trade is designed to achieve roster balance and represents a great opportunity for all parties.

“Angel has achieved many record-breaking milestones in her first two years in the WNBA and has been a competitive force for the Sky.

“We are thankful for her many important contributions to this league and this game, and we know she will continue to have a big impact on the court ant beyond.

“We wish Angel all the best in her next chapter.”

Moving on to a Dream contender

The Sky selected Reese with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft out of LSU, which saw her biggest collegiate rival in Caitlin Clark taken No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever.

Getty

Getty

During her rookie campaign, the 23-year-old emerged as one of the league’s premier rebounders, averaging 13.1 rebounds and 13.6 points in 2024.

This ultimately saw her named an All-Star, while she also finished as as runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting, behind only that of Team USA teammate Clark.

In 2025, Reese took huge strides in the development of her overall game, in which she averaged  14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals a game – all of which were career-highs bar the rebounding numbers.

Despite this, the Sky mustered just 10 wins on the season, and finished with the worst record in the WNBA.

Reese immediately joins a contender.

She becomes part of a Dream roster that, with Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner leading the charge, finished with a 30-14 winning record, although they fell to a Clark-less Fever in the first-round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.

However, the Dream have their own decisions to make with Gray and Griner, along with Brionna Jones and Jordin Canada expected to enter free agency, while Howard is currently a restricted free agent.

New $60 million facility masks underlying issues within organization

Reese’s trade to Atlanta came just days after the revelation of the shocking conditions that the Sky players were subjected to throughout the season.

Shive-Hattery

Getty

Veteran guard Bec Allen, who spent the 2025 campaign with Reese in Chicago after a trade from the Phoenix Mercury, candidly opened up about how the team lacked the ‘minimum standard’ as it pertains to team facilities.

The 33-year-old revealed that the team didn’t even have their own locker room, and that they were sharing it with members of the public – something she had never experienced in her career before.

This is an organizational issue which will be resolved for the 2026 season, with the Sky set to move into a brand new state-of-the art $60 million practice facility in Bedford Park that has been specifically built and tailored to the needs of the professional women’s basketball team.

However, the sparkling new facility appears to just be papering over the cracks of what has been a disfunctional organization for quite some time.

Trouble in the Midwest appeared to be a continuous theme throughout the 2025 season, with Reese choosing to be vocal about the off-court issues.

Getty

After speaking ill of her teammates and hinting at leaving should the team not be able to show they were moving in a positive direction, she was suspended for conduct deemed “detrimental to the team.”

“I am very vocal about what we need and what I want,” Reese had stated. “I’d like to be here for my career, but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me.“

At the back end of last season, the Bayou Barbie also stated: “I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year. We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me.

“I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason.

“So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.”

While Reese will certainly be doing her best this off-season, it won’t be of any benefit to the Sky, who now look to have entered rebuild mode once again.

Stay up to date with the latest from the WNBA across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.