Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky did not have the 2025 WNBA season they were hoping for, finishing the year with a 10-34 record and missing out on a spot in the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Still, Reese continued to impress during her second year in Chicago, earning a second All-Star nod after averaging 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Now, Reese and the Sky will turn their attention to the 2026 WNBA season, which they open on May 9 against one of the league’s newest expansion teams, the Portland Fire. Before the season begins, however, Chicago will look to bolster its roster when free agency opens on April 12, followed by the 2026 WNBA Draft the next day, where the Sky hold the No. 5 pick in the first round.
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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) walks on the court during a game.Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
(Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images)
The 2026 WNBA season will also welcome two new expansion teams, including the aforementioned Fire and the Toronto Tempo, both of which will participate in Friday’s expansion draft. Each new franchise will hold 12 total picks, while the league’s 13 existing teams will be permitted to protect five players apiece and could lose a maximum of two players (one per round) to the expansion squads. But this now excludes the Sky.
On Wednesday, the Sky made the first two official moves of the 2026 WNBA season, executing a pair of trades with the expansion teams ahead of Friday’s draft. Chicago sent the No. 17 pick in the second round of the 2026 WNBA Draft to the Fire in exchange for the No. 21 pick and an agreement that the Fire will not select any Sky player in the expansion draft. The Sky also traded the No. 26 pick to the Tempo under the same terms, ensuring that neither expansion franchise will pick from Chicago’s unprotected list on Friday.
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“TRADE ALERT 🚨 The Sky have reached agreements with the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo ahead of the Expansion Draft,” the Sky wrote on X. “As a result, neither team will select a player from Chicago’s Unprotected List in the Expansion Draft. Our 2026 WNBA Draft picks remain: ➡️ No. 5 overall (first round) ➡️ No. 21 overall (second round) ➡️ No. 32 overall (third round)”
With the Sky’s lack of success with their current roster last season, many hoped to see new additions through the draft. But Chicago has now ensured the roster could largely remain intact while also giving away picks, and many now want to see Reese depart for a new team.
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“Bet Chicago will trade Angel Reese to Connecticut,” one fan said.
“Angel Reese to Atlanta!🙏,” added another.
“free angel reese,” wrote a third.
“Based on what the Sky did today I need Angel Reese away from Chicago please and thank you,” posted a fourth.
“I’ve been saying, Angel Reese needs to get the hell out of Chicago. Franchise is a joke,” commented a fifth.
“This is standup comedy. The jokes write themselves. But I can’t laugh until Angel Reese is free from this organization,” added a sixth.
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Reese and the Sky will open the 2026 WNBA season against the Fire on May 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
