Angel Reese sent a strong statement to the Sky about the direction the organization needs to go in, while putting her future in Chicago in some doubt.
The Sky (9-30) are down to their final four games of the regular season after they face the Sun on Wednesday night, and in pointed comments to the Chicago Tribune, Reese insisted that she was “not settling for the same s–t we did this year” with the team holding the second-worst record in the WNBA.
“I am very vocal about what we need and what I want,” Reese told the outlet. “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, 23, is expecting the Sky to have a big offseason and has expressed that to the team’s front office, she told the Tribune.
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft did not hold back about her feelings about the current roster and said that she and Kamilla Cardoso were the only two guarantees for the 2026 squad.
“We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me,” she said.
The Sky have not had the best luck in attracting top talent in free agency, and their big free agent signing this past offseason was bringing back Courtney Vandersloot, who tore her ACL earlier in the season.
Reese gave a very candid assessment of the veteran WNBA star.
“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.”
She also questioned whether Rachel Banham and Hailey Van Lith could carry a playoff team.
Van Lith and Reese were teammates at LSU during the 2023-24 season.
Front Office Sports further reported that Reese wants head coach Tyler Marsh to push the team harder.
Marsh said he was “aware” of the report and that the team was “addressing it in-house as currently speaking,” according to FOS.
League sources told Front Office Sports that the entire team saw Reese’s comments, and the players were unhappy with them. A team meeting is planned to address Reese directly.