Few players are more fixated on the upcoming WNBA free agency cycle than Angel Reese.
More than 100 players will enter free agency this winter as the tumult of a two-team expansion draft and a new collective bargaining agreement promises an offseason of leaguewide upheaval. Those players include 21 of this year’s 24 All-Star selections.
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Reese is not one of these anticipated free agents. The forward is four games away from finishing up the second season of her rookie contract with the Sky, a three-year agreement with a team option that is all but guaranteed to keep the star forward in Chicago through 2027.
But that doesn’t mean Reese is content to spend the upcoming offseason on the sidelines. In the final dregs of a second consecutive losing season, the Sky’s leading scorer is already making her voice heard within the front office.
“I’m not settling for the same s−−− we did this year,” Reese told the Tribune. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me. I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason. So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best, because we can’t settle for what we have this year.”
Throughout her tenure in Chicago, Reese has been consistent about her buy-in with the Sky.
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When the Sky missed the playoffs and fired first-year coach Teresa Weatherspoon — with whom Reese still maintains a strong relationship — the forward voiced frustration yet maintained her commitment toward building a long-term future in Chicago. She bought a house in Lemont last offseason and helped renovate custom courts at Oakwood Beach. And when faced with criticism of the Sky’s training facilities and overall investment, Reese often shrugged off questions with the same response: “I just want to hoop.”
But at the end of this season, Reese is beginning to take a more pragmatic — and conditional — stance toward her future with the Sky.
“I am very vocal about what we need and what I want,” Reese said. “I’d like to be here for my career, but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me. But while I am here, I’m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.”
Reese has no trouble coming up with ideas for how to improve the Sky — and sharing them with anyone in authority, from general manager Jeff Pagliocca to owner Michael Alter.
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She wants expanded office spaces and training facilities to give the organization a more comparable work environment to competitors around the league. She wants a more dynamic style of play on the court. She wants the Sky to establish a more cohesive identity regardless of personnel. And she wants head coach Tyler Marsh to coach players harder.
But more than anything else this winter, Reese wants the Sky to get the roster right in free agency.
The Sky front office has never been timid since Pagliocca took over as general manager. He traded Kahleah Copper to get the No. 3 draft pick in 2024, then sent out the No. 3 draft pick in 2025 to acquire Ariel Atkins. The phones at Sachs Recreation Center are some of the most active in the league. Still, that activity has yet to be rewarded with on-court success.
Pagliocca had a vision for the 2025 team — a group that could sling 3-pointers and play uptempo offense while running through Reese and Kamilla Cardoso on both ends of the court. But the concept crumbled almost immediately before being thrown completely off track with Courtney Vandersloot’s season-ending injury.
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Sure, the Sky are still young. And sure, they suffered several major blows due to injury throughout the year. But Reese pointed to the inaugural Golden State Valkyries — who are ranked sixth in the league despite building their roster primarily through the expansion draft — as a comparison point for how the Sky have underperformed this season.
“Watching Golden State — no offense, but I don’t think they’re more talented than us on paper,” Reese said. “But they play hard as hell. So starting at the top, we got to find an identity of what we’re going to be next year and then roll with the punches of what we can get.”
The Sky front office has targeted Atkins, Vandersloot and Rachel Banham as three veterans to potentially bring back through free agency. Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld will both remain under contract alongside Reese and Cardoso, although the rookies could be dealt in trades. The 2026 roster will also include the addition of 2025 draft pick Ajša Sivka — who sat out this season due to EuroLeague — and a lottery pick conveyed by the Connecticut Sun.
These potential returners account for as many as nine roster spots, but Reese still anticipates a substantial overhaul of the Sky roster this winter. The forward believes there are only two guarantees on the 2026 Sky roster — herself and Cardoso. Between the expansion draft and free agency, the rest of the group is unknown.
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Reese identified free agency needs across the roster — including a backup post and a fleet of shooting guards who can get downhill and finish 3-pointers with more efficiency than this year’s backcourt group — but her main concern surrounds the point guard position.
Vandersloot’s absence this season exposed weaknesses across the Sky roster. This team lacks players who can attack the rim and split open the seams of the defense while moving downhill. Guards from Banham to Van Lith to Kia Nurse were out of position and out of their depth during emergency stints at point guard. As a result, the Sky relied heavily on Reese to handle the ball as a point forward.
Despite praising Vandersloot’s abilities and leadership, Reese balked at the prospect of building the roster around a point guard attempting to return from an ACL tear at age 36. And she doesn’t feel that backup options like Banham or Van Lith are better prepared to carry the mantle on a playoff team.
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“We can’t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she’s at,” Reese said. “I know she’ll be a great asset for us, but we can’t rely on that. We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who’s been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before.”
If the Sky are going to land a star in free agency, Reese is hoping for a facilitator who can elevate the offense at all three levels. But the Sky still haven’t shaken one lingering question — even if they identify the correct talent in free agency, how can they convince players to come to Chicago?
The Sky have not landed a major free agent since 2022, when they signed Emma Meesseman after she took a two-season break from playing in the WNBA. Most of the team’s history has been defined by the departure of players from Sylvia Fowles and Elena Delle Donne to Vandersloot and Copper. This pattern has often been attributed to the Sky’s lack of spending in comparison to league giants like the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces.
Improvements such as a new training facility — which is expected to open in Bedford Park next spring — could begin to amend that reputation. And Reese promises to be on the campaign trail the moment the season ends. Still, the forward had to admit that her pitch to potential free agents sometimes feels like a tough sell.
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“We need great players and I don’t know what that will attract that,” Reese said. “Maybe the practice facility will attract that, we’ll see. But I think the priority is being able to convince (free agents) that this is an organization that is going in the right direction. I think, honestly, it would be a leap of faith for a great, great player to come here and show that this is something that they want to be a part of and we can bring that championship mentality.”
