The WNBA‘s Chicago Sky recently pulled off a massive trade with the Atlanta Dream, sending All-Star Angel Reese to Atlanta in exchange for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028. Now, Reese is speaking out on what led up to that.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Reese said that while she’s grateful for what she was able to do with the Sky, she “wanted more” and wanted to be surrounded by people who could make her a better player. Reese made it clear that she’s not satisfied with where she is in her career and is glad to be around the Atlanta players who can make her better.
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“I’m always gonna be grateful for that because I did experience a lot of great things,” Reese said, via WFIN. “I enjoyed being able to grow within my first two years, but I wanted more. I love to win, I love to compete and I wanted to be surrounded by people that can make me better.
“And I am not satisfied with what I am as a player, and I felt like being around these kinds of players would help me be better. I can help them in different ways to help them win, and that’s all I ever wanted.
“I don’t care about anything else that comes with it. I want to win and being able to come to an organization that really cared about their players.”
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The Backlash
Reese already has a pretty sizeable contingent of plans who hate everything about her and everything she does, so making pretty much any comment about the team she left behind was ammo for them:
“Her greatest trait/skill is how she can single handily implode a locker room and get a coach fired. Second to none,” one user mocked.
“The Sky wanted her gone, plain and simple, they literally gave her away for free in the trade, speaks volumes, literally NO team wanted her narrative, she will wear out her welcome QUICKLY in Atlanta also, Howard and Gray and Bri Jones ain’t putting up with NO disrespect from Reese,” another declared.
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“Maybe it’s because she can’t hit a lay up even with nobody watching,” a third remarked.
Reese emerged as one of the top rebound-getters in the WNBA over the past two seasons, but has been often accused of being a terrible shooter. It’s going to take a pretty substantial increase in her percentages inside the paint to silence the critics.
But Reese is also joining a team that was already one of the best in the league last season. It’s very possible that her defense could make her the final piece of a championship puzzle.
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We’ll find out soon enough.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Apr 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
