{"id":196732,"date":"2025-09-03T11:47:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T11:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/196732\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T11:47:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T11:47:12","slug":"angel-reese-wants-the-chicago-sky-to-do-more-in-wnba-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/196732\/","title":{"rendered":"Angel Reese wants the Chicago Sky to do more in WNBA free agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few players are more fixated on the upcoming WNBA free agency cycle than Angel Reese<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More than 100 players will enter free agency this winter as the tumult of a two-team expansion draft<\/a> and a new collective bargaining agreement<\/a> promises an offseason of leaguewide upheaval. Those players include 21 of this year\u2019s 24 All-Star selections.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean Reese is content to spend the upcoming offseason on the sidelines. In the final dregs of a second consecutive losing season<\/a>, the Sky\u2019s leading scorer is already making her voice heard within the front office.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not settling for the same s\u2212\u2212\u2212 we did this year,\u201d Reese told the Tribune. \u201cWe have to get good players. We have to get great players. That\u2019s a non-negotiable for me. I\u2019m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do this offseason. So it\u2019s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best, because we can\u2019t settle for what we have this year<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout her tenure in Chicago, Reese has been consistent about her buy-in with the Sky.<\/p>\n

When the Sky missed the playoffs and fired first-year coach Teresa Weatherspoon \u2014 with whom Reese still maintains a strong relationship \u2014 the forward voiced frustration yet maintained her commitment toward building a long-term future in Chicago. She bought a house in Lemont<\/a> last offseason and helped renovate custom courts at Oakwood Beach. And when faced with criticism of the Sky\u2019s training facilities and overall investment, Reese often shrugged off questions with the same response: \u201cI just want to hoop.\u201d<\/p>\n

But at the end of this season, Reese is beginning to take a more pragmatic \u2014 and conditional \u2014 stance toward her future with the Sky.<\/p>\n

\"ChicagoChicago Sky forward Angel Reese drives down the court during the second quarter against the Washington Mystics at Wintrust Arena on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very vocal about what we need and what I want,\u201d Reese said. \u201cI\u2019d like to be here for my career, but if things don\u2019t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what\u2019s best for me. But while I am here, I\u2019m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reese has no trouble coming up with ideas for how to improve the Sky \u2014 and sharing them with anyone in authority, from general manager Jeff Pagliocca to owner Michael Alter.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> to coach players harder.<\/p>\n

But more than anything else this winter, Reese wants the Sky to get the roster right in free agency.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

Pagliocca had a vision for the 2025 team \u2014 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\u2019s season-ending injury<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> \u2014 who are ranked sixth in the league despite building their roster primarily through the expansion draft \u2014 as a comparison point for how the Sky have underperformed this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching Golden State \u2014 no offense, but I don\u2019t think they\u2019re more talented than us on paper,\u201d Reese said. \u201cBut they play hard as hell. So starting at the top, we got to find an identity of what we\u2019re going to be next year and then roll with the punches of what we can get.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChicagoChicago Sky forward Angel Reese stands on the court before the game against the Atlanta Dream at Wintrust Arena on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Reese did not play in the game due to injury. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The Sky front office has targeted Atkins, Vandersloot and Rachel Banham<\/a> as three veterans to potentially bring back through free agency. Hailey Van Lith<\/a> 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 Aj\u0161a Sivka<\/a> \u2014 who sat out this season due to EuroLeague \u2014 and a lottery pick conveyed by the Connecticut Sun.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 herself and Cardoso. Between the expansion draft and free agency, the rest of the group is unknown.<\/p>\n

Reese identified free agency needs across the roster \u2014 including a backup post and a fleet of shooting guards who can get downhill and finish 3-pointers with more efficiency than this year\u2019s backcourt group \u2014 but her main concern surrounds the point guard position.<\/p>\n

Vandersloot\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Despite praising Vandersloot\u2019s 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\u2019t feel that backup options like Banham or Van Lith are better prepared to carry the mantle on a playoff team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she\u2019s at,\u201d Reese said. \u201cI know she\u2019ll be a great asset for us, but we can\u2019t rely on that. We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who\u2019s been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019t shaken one lingering question \u2014 even if they identify the correct talent in free agency, how can they convince players to come to Chicago?<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019s lack of spending in comparison to league giants like the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

Improvements such as a new training facility \u2014 which is expected to open in Bedford Park<\/a> next spring \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need great players and I don\u2019t know what that will attract that,\u201d Reese said. \u201cMaybe the practice facility will attract that, we\u2019ll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few players are more fixated on the upcoming WNBA free agency cycle than Angel Reese. More than 100…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":196733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[1496,1497,10586,109350,1499,109351,62,8345,67,132,68,232,109349],"class_list":{"0":"post-196732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-angel-reese","9":"tag-chicago-sky","10":"tag-courtney-vandersloot","11":"tag-jeff-pagliocca","12":"tag-kamilla-cardoso","13":"tag-michael-alter","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-tyler-marsh","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-wnba","20":"tag-wnba-free-agency"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115140207886990829","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}