NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Angel Reese is on the move, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the WNBA and the star player. The Chicago Sky agreed to a trade with the Atlanta Dream that will send Reese to Atlanta for a 2027 and 2028 first-round picks and a swap of 2028 2nd round picks. Seems like a heavy price for some, but it’s really not.
And the price is where the delusion is going from. Reese, despite how many feel about her game, is a two-time WNBA All-Star who averaged 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds last season. But not only that, Reese has a bit of a cult following that could help lift the Dream to another level in terms of marketing.
Whether we want to admit it or not, there is still a bit of a rivalry there between Reese and Caitlin Clark that has added an extra layer of excitement for the league. Now, that all changes, as it was more one-sided than anything, with the Sky unable to field a winning team last season.
The Dream finished the 2025 season with the 3rd-best record in the WNBA at 30-14. This makes the Angel Reese trade that more appealing to the WNBA, Reese, and also for the Indiana Fever and others. Now, Reese has a good chance to be in the chase of her first WNBA Championship.
The knock on the Sky was that the organization did not surround her with the players needed. Most of the negativity towards the roster was due to a lack of sufficient guard play. Well, in Atlanta, that all changes. Reese will be on the floor with Allisha Gray, who averaged 18.4 points per game and 3.5 assists, and her running mate, Rhyne Howard, averaged 17.5 points per game to go along with 4.6 assists. Reese now has the guards who can spread the floor and open things for her in the low post.
But that’s not only where this trade benefits her. Skill-wise, Angel Reese is now paired with an All-Time WNBA great in Brittney Griner. While up there in age, Griner managed 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds and still had enough in the tank to be a presence on the defensive end of the court.
However, this trade has still managed to be viewed negatively. It’s Angel Reese. The hounds are saying that Reese was traded, but never Clark. The Atlanta Dream must be in the market just to sell tickets. All that will happen is more “Mebounds” and not enough winning. But Reese has heard it all before and will block it out.
This move was great for a league that now has a solid footing financially and a clear path into the future as far as star power, with Reeses as one of the players leading the charge.
She and Clark have been at the forefront since they entered the WNBA in 2024. Now, the league can feel good about sharing the keys to players such as Paige Bueckers, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Breanna Stewart. And then you look forward to the incoming crop of talent that’s headed their way with Sarah Strong, Hannah Hidalgo, Audi Crooks, Azzi Fudd, Lauren Betts, and others. Needless to say, the WNBA is heading in the right direction.
For this coming season, the Atlanta Dream are throwing their cards in the middle of the court and going for it. And why not? They fell short in the first round as they were upset by the Fever minus Clark. That’s why this trade was so important. If it were another team or player, this would receive high grades, but because it’s Reese, the jabs will come.
The Dream is not trying to have a repeat performance. What they felt they were missing, they went out and got it. This is what championship-caliber teams do. They assess and reload. To see such a young marquee name moved like that and to a team that won 30 games just the season before, just proves how the WNBA is growing.
And the real hate for this trade is simple. Some just don’t want Angel Reese to win a championship before a certain someone else does. We don’t need to say names.
