It sounds like Angel Reese isn’t going anywhere—at least for now.
On Friday, Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said, “until I hear differently, that’s the direction we’re going to move, is that she’s on the roster,” according to Alexa Philippou at ESPN.
The relationship between Reese and the Sky was already seemingly unsteady, and hit truly rocky waters over the final two weeks of the WNBA regular season. After Reese made comments critical of her team in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, the Sky elected to suspend Reese for the first half of Sunday’s game against the Aces. Reese, who was also dealing with an injury, did not take the floor in the second half of that game, or in the team’s season finale on Thursday night.
Reese was courtside for the Sky’s final game of the season, and received a resounding welcome from the Chicago crowd. A fan with a “Free Angel” shirt made some news on social media when sitting courtside for the Sky’s 91–86 loss to the Liberty..
Given the clear strain between Reese and the Sky’s front office, it felt as though we may have seen the last of the young star’s time in Chicago. But per Pagliocca, the goal is to work through the rough patch.
“Angel is an ascending young talent in this league who’s had two very, very good seasons here in Chicago,” Pagliocca said Friday, per ESPN. “Obviously we went through what we did. I feel like we closed the chapter on it. She spoke to her teammates, she spoke publicly. We moved on as a team. She’s a special player. And I have good conversations with Angel daily, with her team daily. They’re constant, and they’re productive.”
The comments Reese made that started this latest strife between her and the team included calls for the squad to renew its roster heading into the 2026 season.
“I’m not settling for the same s--- we did this year,” Reese told the Chicago Tribune's Julia Poe. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me. ... I think the priority is being able to convince [free agents] that this is an organization that is going in the right direction.”
She has since apologized to her teammates both privately and publicly, and it appears that Pagliocca is hoping that everyone involved can move forward from here on the same page.
Reese and the Sky’s season may be over, but the WNBA playoffs tip off on Sunday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sky GM Says Team Has No Plans to Move Angel Reese Despite Recent Friction.