The Chicago Sky will miss the postseason for the second consecutive season, but the aftermath of Angel Reese’s recent comments may sink the team even further.
On September 3, Reese spoke with the Chicago Tribune and expressed her desire for the team to grow. She was suspended for the first half of the game against the Las Vegas Aces on Sept 7.
On Sept 10, the Dallas Hoops Journal reported that Reese could be traded. “Multiple WNBA teams will pursue a trade for Chicago Sky star Angel Reese this offseason,” sources told DallasHoopsJournal.
“Sky players, coaches, and higher-ups are not happy with Reese after what she said to the Chicago Tribune. Chicago could attempt to trade Reese this offseason.”
Windy Chicago
Since Reese’s college championship victory with the LSU Tigers over Iowa, she has often been misunderstood, and some would argue, faced unfair criticism. During her interview with The Chicago Tribune, she opened up about the franchises direction.
“I’m not settling for the same (expletive) we did this year,” Reese said to the Tribune on Sept 3.
“We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me. I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason.”
“So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.”
After expressing her current state of mind with the franchise, she did express her desire to play there for her career with a caveat. “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.”
This season, Reese played 30 games compared to last season’s 34. She is averaging a career-high 14.7 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals a game. Needless to say, the team as a whole struggled this season.
Around the WNBA
After Reese’s comments toward her team, former and current players, and executives voiced their opinions. Needless to say, WNBA legend Candace Parker provided some advice for the young star.
“I think the best advice I ever received is to keep things in house,”Parker said on Sept 10 on Episode 7 of her Podcast Post Moves.
“You can yell, scream, cuss, all inside these walls, but you can’t bring it out. And once that happens, it’s hard to gain that trust back. And so I think Angel taking the steps of apologizing publicly is huge. But I also feel like there is a little bit of a need, even more so, for the understanding of how sacred the locker room is.”
On the flip side, Sophie Cunningham commented on Reese’s recent comments on her podcast “Show Me Something” with West Wilson on Sept 9.
“It’s not great. There are just some things that you can’t say. I’m a very team first type of person. I always put the team before my feelings, and I think that should be a standard,” Cunningham said.
“You got to protect your locker room.”
Chicago has one more game left in the regular season. Will Tyler Marsh remain with the team, and will Reese be on the trading block, or will the team overcome this hurdle?
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Angel Reese’s Recent Comments Upset Team; Trade Could Happen appeared first on Heavy Sports.