Angel Reese
Reese brings elite rebounding to a top team. Angel Reese Instagram

The WNBA got rocked recently following reports that Angel Reese had been traded by the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dreams This clearly shifted the WNBA landscape while also marking a clear turning point for the two teams involved in the trade.

First reported by 'NBA on Prime' broadcaster Taylor Rooks, the Sky will receive first-round draft picks for 2027 and 2028 in exchange for the 7th overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft. Also part of the deal was the Dream's right to swap second-round picks with the Sky in 2028.

With her addition, the Dream are expected to get an added boost once the 2026 season starts, particularly in rebounding. Reese led the WNBA in rebounding in 2025 averaging 12.6 boards in 30 regular season games while also averaging 14.7 points per contest. With those numbers, it is hardly surprising to hear Dream coach Karl Smesko rave about the team's new addition.

'Her energy, toughness and instincts will thrive in our system, and we're excited to integrate her into the style of play we are constructing here in Atlanta,' Smesko said in a report by CNN.

And considering the Dream held the best record in the league last season with a 30-14 win-loss record, the expectation is that they can at least do better. However, that depends on who may still be left around.

Allisha Gray, Brittney Griner, Jordin Canada and Brionna Jones are set to be free agents so it remains unclear who will still be around once the season opens on 8 May.

Reese Trade Was Overdue

The Angel Reese trade may come as a shock to some although it was a deal most expected. Back in September, the LSU product came under fire for her controversial comments during a Chicago Tribune interview with Julia Poe.

Reese drew criticism for telling Poe that the Sky needed to get good players, something that didn't sit well with her Chicago teammates. She only fanned the flames even more after saying that there are only two guarantees on the 2026 Sky roster: her and Kamilla Cardoso.

Her comments unsurprisingly made the Sky organisation upset with their working relationship heading to an ugly end. Reese did apologise but that didn't prevent the team from suspending her for the first half of their 7 September game against the Las Vegas Aces. She missed the final three games of the team due to an alleged back injury.

Irreparable Damage, Falling Sky

Regardless of that controversial exchange, seeing the Sky give up Reese was hard to picture. But factor in the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement, the decision by Chicago to trade Reese made sense.

Had they kept the two-time WNBA All-Star, the Sky would have ended up giving Reese a huge pay hike for the 2026 season. With the new CBA, the 6-foot-3 power forward would be owed $350,692 (£264,886), a huge jump from her base salary of $75,000 (£56,649) before the new CBA took effect.

That problem now belongs to the Dream who will likely find little to no problem paying Reese for as long as she continues with her outstanding play. As for Chicago, the Sky find themselves on a hard reset.

Unless the team gets someone who can at least fill in the void left by Reese, Chicago's 2026 season does not look promising.

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