Chicago Sky GM Says Angel Reese Will Remain on Roster After Late-Season Rift
Jeff Pagliocca says the team has 'closed the chapter' on Reese's critical remarks and suspension as the forward prepares to stay with the Sky.
Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said Friday that Angel Reese will remain with the franchise despite a late-season dispute in which the team's star threatened to leave if the roster did not improve.
"That's the direction we're going to move, is that she's on the roster," Pagliocca told reporters. "Angel is an ascending young talent in this league who's had two very, very good seasons here in Chicago. 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 follow a string of events that began when Reese publicly criticized the Sky's roster and said she "might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me" if the team did not improve. Chicago suspended Reese for those comments, calling them "detrimental," and she did not play in the final three games of the season after the team listed a back injury. Her absence and the earlier suspension spawned speculation about a fractured relationship between player and organization.
Reese, who averaged 14.7 points and a league-high 12.6 rebounds in 2025, had publicly pressed the team to upgrade its roster. "I’m not settling for the same s--- we did this year," she told the Chicago Tribune. "We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a nonnegotiable for me."
The Sky finished the season 10-34, tied for the worst record in the WNBA, and missed the playoffs. Pagliocca emphasized that the organization and Reese have talked through the situation and that the club plans to move forward together. "She's on the roster until I hear differently," he said, reiterating the club's position that Reese remains a central piece of its plans.
Pagliocca declined to outline specific roster moves or strategies for addressing Reese's demands, saying only that internal discussions and evaluations will continue. He described his interactions with Reese and teammates as regular and productive, and said the team has taken steps to address the issues raised during the season.
The Sky's season-ending turmoil drew attention because Reese has become one of the game's most prominent young players since joining the league. Her double-digit rebounding average led the WNBA, and she logged the kind of production that made her a focal point for the franchise amid its struggles.
The team will enter the offseason facing decisions about personnel and direction while Reese — a high-profile presence both on and off the court — remains under contract. Pagliocca's comments suggest the organization views the matter as resolved for now, but acknowledged that roster building will be central to satisfying the player's public demands and improving the Sky's standing in the league.
Chicago's front office now faces the task of balancing short-term improvements and long-term development around Reese's production, while ensuring internal cohesion following the suspension and missed games that closed the 2025 campaign.