With just over a month until the WNBA season kicks off, a blockbuster trade was agreed upon that will send Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream. The deal was first reported by NBA on Prime’s Taylor Rooks, and the full terms involve Reese and a 2028 second-round pick being traded to the Dream in exchange for Atlanta’s 2027 and 2028 first-round picks.
Who won the Angel Reese trade?
Angel Reese was initially drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Sky after a successful four-year college career at Maryland and LSU. She has made the All-Star team in both years in the league to this point. Reese averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game as a rookie, but she struggled with her efficiency by shooting just 39.1% from the field overall. Last season, she posted averages of 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, improving her field-goal percentage to 45.8% and adding 3.7 assists per game.
Dream Grade: B+
The Atlanta Dream went 30-14 last season and earned the third seed in the playoffs. They were eliminated by the Indiana Fever in a 2-1 series in the opening round of the postseason and will now hope that Reese changes their outlook moving forward. Last year, Atlanta led the league in both rebounds per game and opponents’ rebounds allowed, but it still has some questions to answer in free agency to set its roster in stone. Adding Reese changes this equation, and it will hope she becomes a foundational piece of its roster alongside Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. She also is one of the most marketable stars in the WNBA.
Reese showed some encouraging development last year with her efficiency and playmaking. The Dream will look to continue this developmental path and hope a change in location brings out the best in the two-time All-Star. The team made a significant leap forward in its regular-season results last season. It went 19-21 in 2023, 15-25 in 2024 and 30-14 last season, but it has lost in the first round of the playoffs in each season.
Following the trade, Atlanta saw its championship odds shift from +1400 to +900 on DraftKings Sportsbook, which ranks fifth in the WNBA.
Sky Grade: B-
The Chicago Sky released a statement regarding the move. They thanked Reese for her contributions to the franchise and stated, “This trade is designed to achieve roster balance and represent a great opportunity for all parties.”
This is a fair outlook for a Chicago team that went just 10-34 last season and tied for the worst record in the league. This was also a slight step back from the 13-27 record the Sky posted during Reese’s rookie year. Chicago has not qualified for the playoffs in either season.
Reese has shown some flashes of being a foundational level of talent for the organization. But there is more work to be done in building out a complete roster, and Chicago elected to add a pair of first-round picks as its best path to achieving this. There have also been some signs of frustration between Reese and the organization. The two-time All-Star was suspended for a half last season due to comments detrimental to the team, and she also picked up a one-game suspension due to technical foul accumulation last season. Chicago will continue on its rebuilding path and hope these draft picks can build out a more sustainable contending roster.
Chicago currently holds the worst odds of winning the WNBA championship next season at +40,000 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
