On Monday, April 6, the Chicago Sky traded Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream, and the WNBA has not stopped talking about it.
The deal sends Reese, a two-time All-Star and two-time WNBA rebounding leader, to Atlanta in exchange for the Dream’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, along with the right to swap second-round picks in 2028. She arrives in Atlanta still on her rookie contract, still just 23 years old, and already one of the most recognisable names in women’s basketball.
Reese was selected seventh overall by Chicago in the 2024 WNBA Draft, fresh off leading LSU to the 2023 national championship. In two seasons with the Sky, she made the All-Rookie team, earned two All-Star selections, and led the league in rebounding in both years. Her career averages sit at 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds per game across 64 games. The production was never in question. The situation in Chicago, however, had deteriorated, and despite telling reporters in December that she planned to return, a split had been building.
ATL BARBIE. @AtlantaDream pic.twitter.com/uvAF9MyLVZ
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 6, 2026
She lands in a very different environment. Atlanta finished the 2025 season with a franchise-best 30 wins under first-year head coach Karl Smesko, finishing first in the Eastern Conference before being
knocked out in the playoffs by Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever. That playoff exit revealed a team that needed one more piece to go the distance. Reese is that piece.
“Angel’s ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor is elite,” Smesko said. “Her energy, toughness and instincts will thrive in our system.”
Reese, for her part, sounded ready. “I’m focused on continuing to grow my game, competing at the highest level, connecting with the fans, and giving everything I’ve got to the Dream,” she said in the team’s official announcement.
The reaction from analysts has been near-unanimous — Atlanta won this trade decisively. The Dream gave up no players, retained key young assets including Odyssey Sims Paopao and 2024 pick Isobel Borlase, kept the 13th pick in this year’s draft, and still managed to land one of the league’s brightest young stars. The two first-round picks heading to Chicago are from a Dream team that projects to be a playoff side for years, meaning they are unlikely to carry significant lottery value.
Chicago’s side of this is harder to defend. The Sky are 23-61 over the last two seasons. They moved a franchise-calibre player for mid-range future picks without extracting any established talent in return.
Reese has already unveiled her Atlanta Dream merchandise. The jerseys sold out immediately.
The Dream open the 2026 season on May 17 at home against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Atlanta’s ceiling just got considerably higher.
