Dawn Staley Explains How Angel Reese's Sky Exit Helps Kamilla Cardoso
In the wake of Angel Reese getting traded from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream earlier this month, there has been a lot of discussion on how Reese will fare within Atlanta's offense and whether this will turn the Dream into a true WNBA championship contender.
But perhaps a more compelling question is how it will impact the Sky. They re-tooled their roster by signing several key veterans, including Skylar Diggins and Azurá Stevens, and also acquired Rickea Jackson in a trade. And Jackson isn't the only player from the 2024 WNBA Draft who is now on the Sky's roster. Kamilla Cardoso, who Chicago drafted with the No. 3 overall pick that year, is still on the team.
Given that Cardoso and Reese are both forwards who aren't known for their shooting, they were always a questionable fit on the court together. Not to mention that Reese's star power has always made Cardoso feel like a piece of the supporting cast as opposed to the main character in Chicago's roster up until that trade was finalized.
Dawn Staley Asserts That Kamilla Cardoso Can Become 'Focal Point' For SKy After Angel Reese Trade
Cardoso played for Dawn Staley with the South Carolina Gamecocks in college. And Staley seems excited to see how this new-look roster without Reese can help Cardoso maximize her potential, which was conveyed by comments she made during an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that was published on April 25.
‘‘I think it took people moving out of the way. Like Aliyah Boston graduating and then Kamilla being the focal point. Sometimes when you know there’s nobody there [and] it’s just you, you rise to the challenge," Staley said when asked about how Cardoso became dominant at South Carolina during her final season there.
‘‘If you’re gonna give her the keys to the car only on the weekends, I don’t think that’s Kamilla’s style. I think it’s more [that] she wants to get in the car and drive it every day," Staley added.
She later said, ‘‘I think this year is probably going to be a great year for her, statistically speaking, as well as comfort. And the fact that Angel isn’t on the roster. I’m not saying that in a bad way; it just leaves more opportunity for Kamilla to spread her wings. She can be more of a focal point.’’
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley says the Sky's Kamilla Cardoso excels under applied pressure. https://t.co/uiw05uRasS
— Sun-Times Sports (@suntimes_sports) April 25, 2026
There's no question that Cardodo will have more space in the paint without Reese there. And perhaps this will be all she needs to take that next step towards stardom.
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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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