Why the Chicago Sky traded Angel Reese: Inside the WNBA shocker

Meghan L. Hall, USA TODAYTue, April 7, 2026 at 5:10 PM UTC

1

The Chicago Sky traded away its star Angel Reese, leaving a lingering question: Why?

In a blockbuster move on April 6, the Sky's general manager decided to move on from the team's biggest star after just two years with the franchise. "This trade is designed to achieve roster balance and represents a great opportunity for all parties,” Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca said in a statement after Reese was traded for a pair of first-round draft picks.

By all accounts, the former Sky forward was a focal point for the team. However, things changed during the WNBA offseason, raising the question: What happened with Reese and Chicago? How did she end up in Atlanta?

Here's a timeline of what went led up to the Sky's split with Reese:

1 / 0Angel Reese walks runway at Victoria's Secret Fashion ShowAngel Reese walks the runway during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York on Oct. 15.Chicago drafts Angel Reese in 2024 WNBA Draft

In 2024, Chicago drafted center Kamilla Cardoso with the No. 3 overall pick and Reese with the No. 7 overall selection. While Cardoso's selection wasn't surprising, Reese's was somewhat head-turning. Chicago traded up one spot to acquire the former LSU product in a package that included a 2025 second-round pick and the rights to a 2026 first-round swap. The 2026 pick is now the No. 2 overall selection in this year's WNBA draft.

From a pure basketball perspective, there were immediate questions about fit. How would Cardoso and Reese work together in the paint? Which player would the Sky lean on to clean up the boards, or which player does Chicago pull out when the other is in the post? How would Chicago's guards distribute the ball to both? The concerns about how the Sky would make both of their new bigs work together were real, and it became apparent that Chicago struggled to find the answers during their rookie season.

The Sky hire and fire coach Teresa Weatherspoon

After early concerns about the fit between Reese and Cardoso, the Sky made another misstep by hiring head coach Teresa Weatherspoon weeks before hiring Pagliocca. Both had limited experience in their respective roles and Pagliocca did not have a hand in selecting Weatherspoon, creating an environment that wasn't set up for success as their Chicago tenures began.

Weatherspoon struggled in her first season as head coach, finishing with a 13-27 record amid a slew of injuries and reported locker room concerns. The Sky also missed the playoffs after winning only two of its last 14 games. In September 2024, the Sky fired Weatherspoon less than a year after her hire. The decision to fire Weatherspoon gutted Reese, who wrote an impassioned post on X about her firing.

"I’m heartbroken. I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life. She was the only person that believed in me. The one that trusted me," Reese wrote.

"Many don’t even know what it’s like to be a black women in sports when nobody believes in you. You had a tough job. All the crazy circumstances that we went through this year & when your back was against the wall, you always believed. I came to Chicago because of YOU. You were an unsung hero in my life. We built a relationship in a short amount of time that will last forever. ... You didn’t deserve this, but I can’t thank you enough. I love you, Tspoon."

Chicago Sky struggle during the 2025 season

In November 2024, the Sky hired former Las Vegas Aces assistant Tyler Marsh to be the franchise's next coach. The hope was that Marsh could get Chicago back on track with a winning record and a return to the postseason. However, the Sky went 10-34 and missed the playoffs again.

Advertisement

The offense struggled to find an identity under the first-year head coach, and injuries to players, including guards Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins, did little to help. Vandersloot tore her ACL just seven games into the season, and Atkins, for whom the Sky gave up multiple picks in a trade, was in and out of the lineup.

The lack of stability within the offense did little to help Chicago. Reese managed to improve her overall stats in her sophomore year, but the load placed on her to help facilitate, score and defend was slowly proving to be too much. Soon, her other teammates were struggling, too, and Chicago found itself near the bottom of many league-wide categories.

Angel Reese suspended by Chicago Sky after comments

After a frustrating season, Reese made public comments in the Chicago Tribune, listing many of her grievances with the state of the franchise. “I’m not settling for the same [expletive] we did this year,” Reese said. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me." According to the Chicago Tribune, the former Sky forward reportedly wanted Marsh to "coach players harder" and to see Chicago invest further in its office and training facilities. She also left the door open to the possibility that she might not spend her entire career with the team

“I am very vocal about what we need and what I want,” Reese explained. “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. But while I am here, I’m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.”

Reese later apologized for her comments, but the Sky suspended her for half a game for making "statements detrimental to the team." She did not play another game for Chicago after the suspension.

Chicago trades Angel Reese to Atlanta

Pagliocca told reporters during the team’s exit interviews in September that the team had moved on from the situation, adding that he had regular conversations with Reese and the team.

“They're constant, and they're productive, and until I hear differently, that's the direction we're gonna move in, is that she's on the roster,” Pagliocca said when asked about Reese’s long-term future with the Sky. At Team USA basketball in December, Reese told the media she planned to play in Chicago.

At the time, she was still under contract and had no plans to play anywhere else. However, on the first day of WNBA free agency on April 6, Chicago traded Reese to Atlanta for a pair of picks and the rights to swap a pick. Per an ESPN report, Reese did not request a trade out of Chicago. The Sky reportedly worked with her to find a new home as they sought to move on, and there was no "contention" between the two sides during her exit.

"To the city of Chicago, you showed me real love from day one," Reese later said in a video tribute montage to fans. "Thank you, Chicago. Always Chi-Town Barbie."

Ownership failures aren't helping the Sky after Angel Reese trade

Chicago has long had a history of losing star players, including Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Sylvia Fowles and Kahleah Copper. Reese is now added to the list, and USA TODAY columnist Nancy Armour called out the WNBA for allowing the Sky to operate the way they do. Here are some of Armour's thoughts on Chicago and its owner, Michael Alter:

"Alter has long run the Chicago Sky on a shoestring, unable or unwilling to provide his players with resources appropriate for a professional franchise. Now he’s dealt Angel Reese, the Sky’s biggest star and a marketing goldmine, for the equivalent of pocket change and bubble gum.

"Connect the dots: the Sky’s entire payroll is going to balloon under the new collective bargaining agreement, with minimum salaries going from less than $70,000 to $270,000. At the same time, Reese's salary will jump to $350,000 this season and she could be eligible for a supermax deal worth $1.4 million as early as next year but for sure in 2027.

"No way Alter can, or will, pay that. So off to the Atlanta Dream Reese is going, leaving the franchise in the country’s third-largest city an even bigger laughingstock than it was before."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angel Reese trade: Why Chicago Sky moved on from franchise star

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”