Chicago Sky star Angel Reese sent ripples through the WNBA world recently with her comments regarding her current Sky teammates. As a result, the Sky benched Reese for only the first half of their Sept. 7 game against the Las Vegas Aces. While there has been much debate as to whether or not Angel Reese was justified in her comments, trade rumors surrounding the second-year star began to circulate.
However, this week Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca seemed to shut down any Angel Reese trade rumors, although he didn’t exactly rule it out with the comments he made, as per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
“Until I hear differently, that’s the direction that we’re going to move, is that she’s on the roster,” Pagliocca said.
While Pagliocca’s comments certainly indicate that the front office is not looking to engage in any Reese trade conversations, it leaves the door open to a potential trade if say, it came via request from Reese. She also made comments suggesting that if the Sky do not make moves to improve the team’s roster and fortunes, that she might look to play elsewhere.
Among the comments that Reese made was suggesting whether or not veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot could return at an impactful level next year due to her age after suffering an ACL injury. She also questioned whether or not some of her current teammates are capable of being consistent playoff contributors. Her comments were made to The Chicago Tribune, and she has since apologized to her teammates for what she said.
The No, 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Reese is one of the WNBA’s top rising stars and arguably the league’s top rebounder. Her rookie season was cut short due to a wrist-injury, and this year Reese missed time due to a back injury. She did not play in the Sky’s final three games of the season due to the back issue.
Reese appeared in a total of 30 games this year at a little over 31 minutes per game. She averaged 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals with splits of 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 75.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line. She was named to her second consecutive WNBA All-Star appearance.
