Angel says she feels urge to win again after trade to Dream
Angel Reese said she believes the move to Atlanta has put her back in a familiar place, one that feels tied to winning. Speaking Wednesday in Los Angeles at a Coach event, Angel compared the trade from Chicago to Atlanta with the college transfer path that preceded her championship run.
“Transferring from Maryland and going to LSU and winning a championship, it feels like deja vu right now, ” Reese said. “And I get chills right now because being a part of Chicago my first two years and going to Atlanta, I just feel that urge right now that I’m going to win again. ” The comments came after the Sky dealt her to the Dream for first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028.
Angel’s remarks offered one of the clearest public windows yet into how she views the change. They also underscored the contrast between the teams: the Dream went 30-14 last season before losing to the Fever in the quarterfinals, while the Sky were 27-61 during Reese’s time there.
Angel trade and the numbers behind it
The trade places Angel on a Dream team that finished last season far ahead of the Sky in the standings. Atlanta’s 30-14 record showed a club positioned to contend, while Chicago’s combined 27-61 mark during Reese’s tenure reflected a far tougher stretch.
Reese also pointed to the personal side of that stretch in Chicago. She spoke about difficult nights and the pressure of being alone with her thoughts, saying the experience was not easy and describing the need to sit with herself and think about what she wanted in life.
What Angel said about Chicago
Angel’s comments aligned with frustration that became more visible over time. At the end of last season, she criticized the Sky’s facilities, medical staff and ability to attract free agents. Months earlier, she had also signaled disappointment with how her back injury was handled.
When asked about the recovery period, she had said, “I’ll speak on that after the season, ” and later skipped exit interviews altogether. In the offseason, she rarely mentioned the Sky on her podcast or in interviews, adding to the sense that the separation had been building for months.
What comes next for Angel
Angel will return to Chicago when the Dream open preseason play against the Sky on April 29. That game will bring immediate attention back to the trade and to the new chapter she says feels like another chance to chase a title.
For now, the message is simple: Angel says she feels the same kind of pull she felt before her college championship run, and she is treating the move to Atlanta as a fresh start. The next public test for Angel comes on April 29, when she faces the Sky in Chicago.
