Angel Reese is one of the brightest young stars in the game. And yet, the Sky found it difficult to attract quality free agents ahead of Reese’s second year in the WNBA. They did sign Courtney Vandersloot, who only played seven games before suffering a season-ending injury, but failed to bring in other big names in free agency.
The reason behind Reese’s Unrivaled return proves that the problem clearly isn’t that great players don’t want to play with her. They do. So badly that they convinced Reese to come back to the league after she had initially decided to sit out this season.
“From the first day Unrivaled started, they’ve been calling me to come back, and they’ve been really consistent because, I mean, they love me here, and I love Unrivaled as well,” Reese said after her second game with the Rose. “Everybody’s called me from all teams to my coaches to my teammates to come back.”
Reese also addressed one big difference between the Sky and Unrivaled, which may actually be why big-time free agents haven’t been super motivated to come to Chicago recently: the player experience.
“They set the standard of what it feels like to be a pro,” Reese said about Unrivaled. “I don’t have to ask for anything. I don’t have to go outside and get my own doctors or do my own meal prep or anything. They have everything right here in your hands, and this is what a league is supposed to look like.”
Some WNBA teams offer the same standards as Unrivaled. Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, and Golden State, for example, lead the charge when it comes to investing in their players. Chicago isn’t known for that. The organization is building a new practice facility, though. If it opens in time for the 2026 season, it could change the team’s appeal in free agency. But even with the facility, the organization has a long way to go to catch up with other franchises.
The upcoming free agency period may be the Sky’s last chance to build a winning team around Reese
Reese wants to play for a winning team, and the Sky want to build a contender around her. They failed to do that so far, losing a chance to draft Sonia Citron and the second overall pick in this year’s draft in the process.
Once a new CBA is finally sorted out, almost every veteran in the league will be a free agent. With so many players potentially available and few players under contract, the Sky have another chance to completely revamp the roster around Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, and hopefully Ariel Atkins, who came to Chicago in exchange for a lottery pick.
If they fail to do that, Reese may force her way out of Chicago. She wouldn’t be the first star to part with the franchise that way.