Team USA training camp was one of the highlights in a bleak WNBA offseason defined by slow-moving CBA talks and worries about the new season. The training camp made it clear that Team USA is already focused on the future. Youngsters Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron, Lauren Betts, and JuJu Watkins were all part of the training camp. While not all of them will make the roster for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, they all made it clear that the national team’s future is in great hands.
There were a few things fans just couldn’t miss: Caitlin Clark looked healthy, the vibes seemed immaculate, and the connection between Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers jumped out.
Bueckers is one of the best young guards in the game. Reese, meanwhile, is one of the best young bigs in the W. Together, they could lead a future championship contender—a fact that didn’t escape Wings fans when Reese’s relationship with the Sky’s front office and coach seemingly deteriorated over the 2025 season. By now, it doesn’t seem like Reese will leave Chicago anytime soon, but that hasn’t stopped Wings fans from using Team USA training camp footage to imagine what the Wings could look like with Reese and Bueckers.
Sky seem to have avoided worst-case Angel Reese scenario
Angel Reese has made it very clear that the 2025 season wasn’t what she had hoped for and that she expects the Sky to build a winning team for the 2026 season. She also said during Team USA training camp that she was under contract and thus expected to be back in Chicago for the 2026 season. It seems that she won’t ask for a trade, like many expected she would after the Sky suspended her for half a game after her comments about the roster’s shortcomings, and she didn’t suit up for a game again after that.
Reese is still signed through the 2026 season, and her contract includes a team option for the 2027 season. So, unless she forces her way out after all or a team makes an offer the Sky cannot resist, Reese will be in Chicago for two more seasons. After that, she will have more freedom—how much exactly depends on whether core rules will change under a new CBA.
With Reese’s eventual free agency and the Wings’ efforts to improve player experiences in Dallas with a new practice facility and arena coming, there is still a chance that she will pair up with Bueckers sometime in the future.
The Wings can get a young co-star for Bueckers in the draft
The Wings were lucky enough to win the draft lottery twice in a row and will once again have the number one pick. When they won the lottery in 2025, it was clear right from the start that they would select Paige Bueckers.
This upcoming draft is quite different. There is no consensus number-one pick yet. For some, the obvious choice is Azzi Fudd, Bueckers’ girlfriend and former UConn teammate, and the best 3-point shooter in the draft. For others, Spanish teen Awa Fam seems like the best pick. Lauren Betts, Olivia Miles, Ta’Niya Latson, and Flau’jae Johnson are also in the mix.
No matter who the Wings pick, they are well set up to find a co-star for Bueckers and build the foundation for a championship contender. Drafting another young star might not be enough to change the Wings’ success right away, but it will definitely pave the way for a strong future.