Angel Reese Trade Speculation Soars After Chicago Sky Announcement
It's no secret that the Chicago Sky have not been great over the past two seasons. They haven't made the playoffs either year and seem to be going in the wrong direction, despite having several young star players on their roster.
The most notable of these is forward Angel Reese, who has asserted herself as a force both on and off the court in her first two professional seasons. And Reese wasn't afraid to make her frustration known by calling out the franchise last September.
In the wake of this, many fans felt like Reese's tenure with the Sky franchise was coming to an end. And while the front office shut down the idea of trading Reese down, some still believe it's the best outcome available to Reese at this point.
Chicago Sky 'Barbie Night' Absence Sparks Trade Talk
Every WNBA team has a set of promotions that they do for select games. For Sky, these are called "Theme Games", and they released their 2026 season Theme Game schedule on April 1.
our 2026 theme game schedule is here!🌤️ pic.twitter.com/hs2q3j4gjz
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) April 1, 2026
Over the past two seasons, the Sky have teamed up with Mattel for what has been called a "Barbie Game Day™". While this wasn't officially about Angel Reese, the fact that her nickname is the "Chi Barbie" and that "Barbie" is a core part of her branding was a clear nod to the Sky's biggest star.
There's not a Barbie-related theme for any of the Sky's 2026 games. And some fans are taking this as proof that Reese might indeed get traded.
"No Barbie night? 🙄 I hope this is a sign that Angel will finally be free from y’all. I’m so glad I didn’t buy season tickets again this year. Y’all really don’t know wtf you’re doing. Also, Fire @JeffPagliocca," wrote @WordyWidowMaker.
"please let this mean yall are trading Angel Reese.
"please please free her from this," added @Jcexpress21.
@rxmx778 wrote, "Barbie night??? We go to games because of Angel. Don’t forget what happened the last game. 🗣️🔥 J***🙎🏻♂️".
Barbie night??? We go to games because of Angel. Don’t forget what happened the last game. 🗣️🔥J***🙎🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/S5O3yFKwks
— Roxyyy (@rxmx778) April 1, 2026
"barbie night gone," added @problemsthots.
"Dear God, I hope this means what I think it does.
"Regardless, the 'Chicago Sky FO loves AR' crowd gets egg thrown in their faces ever so often," said @Aytiel_.
"no barbie night…go on ahead and post that #announcement ahead of time so me and people know where we’re headed this summer," added @jeonghives.
@Euniquee_2013 said, "No Barbie night? Maybe they are setting 5 free 🤞🏾".
No Barbie night? Maybe they are setting 5 free 🤞🏾 https://t.co/aQRQ0aOxr5
— EUNIQUE (@Euniquee_2013) April 1, 2026
"no barbie night ? oh yeah we gone," added @bonjourplaygirl.
"ok so what im hearing is angel finna be my team’s franchise player," added @paigestrufru, who appears to be a Dallas Wings fan.
"No barbie night. We’re almost free of this place 🤞🏾," said @_ctrlmj.
No barbie night. We’re almost free of this place 🤞🏾 https://t.co/MdlBVWP1L4
— m. (@_ctrlmj) April 1, 2026
For what it's worth, it's highly unlikely that not having a Barbie-themed game indicates Reese is getting traded. But it's still something to monitor.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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