Why Angel Reese was traded from Sky to Dream originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Angel Reese gets her first chance against her former team on Tuesday night.
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Reese played her first two WNBA seasons for the Chicago Sky. She was traded to the Atlanta Dream before the 2026 campaign, though.
And after getting used to playing with her new team, Reese is matched up with the Sky on Tuesday night.
It makes it worthwhile revisiting just what happened.
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Angel Reese trade details
The deal, according to Annie Costabile, looked like this:
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Dream get: Angel Reese, second-round pick swap in 2028
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Sky get: Dream first-round pick in 2027; Dream first-round pick in 2028
Why did the Sky trade Angel Reese?
The Sky decided to maximize Reese’s value as a player still under contract while most of the league hit free agency in this past offseason.
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Chicago likely also recognized after a couple of years of seeing Reese up close that her statistical accumulation doesn’t always lead to winning
In 2025, Reese averaged 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. That didn’t result in winning games.
She’s not an efficient scorer at all for her size, shooting just 45.8% from the field and 18.2% from 3-point range in 2025. And her trademarked “Me-Bounds” sum it up quite simply — she’s missing such easy shots that she has a chance to get the ball right back.
The Sky already rostered a more efficient frontcourt scorer in Kamilla Cardoso, and she also can’t shoot from the outside. Having two such players on the roster didn’t make sense.
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Reese has looked similar in Atlanta. Chicago likely doesn’t miss her.
MORE: Angel Reese is competing with NBA great for a big record
