After the Angel Reese trade, are the Chicago Sky actually on the way up?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 13: Gabriela Jaquez (L) of UCLA poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert (R) after being selected with the 5th pick in the first round by the Chicago Sky during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images) | Getty Images There’s no question that the Chicago Sky have been in the doldrums of the WNBA for quite some time.

Ever since their 2021 title run, they’ve taken hit after hit. They lose core players, from Candace Parker to Kahleah Copper to Marina Mabrey and more. Coaches, namely James Wade and Teresa Weatherspoon, left for a new job or were mysteriously fired.

The ownership structure is and remains extraordinarily outdated. A new practice facility can’t be done on time or budget. And then they traded their marquee player, Angel Reese, to the Atlanta Dream.

It was the Reese departure that left many wondering: How much worse could it get for the franchise, voted the worst-run in an anonymous poll of WNBA players? And yet, it may be that the Sky are finally seeing the writing on the wall. Immediately following the trading of Reese, the Sky aggressively used the free agent market and locked up one big name after another.