Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to have easier path to playoffs after Conference rival moves West

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will not have to deal much with Alyssa Thomas after trade from Connecticut Sun.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to have easier path to playoffs after Conference rival moves West

Alyssa Thomas leaves East in hands of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese after trade

The WNBA free agency started with a bang that saw two top All-Stars move teams along with a bunch of draft picks. But that was in the West where teams are building to fight the New York Liberty. On the East, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will battle for playoff spots but haven’t had any significant additions yet.

Both Clark’s Indiana Fever and Reese’s Chicago Sky want to move one step closer to an NBA title. But to do so, they have to beat some of the best in the East. One of those teams in the East is the Connecticut Sun who were close to reaching the WNBA Finals but were stopped short.

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With a lot of free agents on their team, their head coach Stephanie White left the team and joined Clark’s Fever. The Sun then went out and hired Belgium national team head coach Rachid Meziane. However, it seems one superstar free agent wanted to leave as ESPN’s Alexa Philippou revealed.

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Can confirm Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 overall pick are headed to Connecticut in return for Alyssa Thomas. Ty Harris is also headed to Phoenix.

Alexa Philippou wrote
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This means Alyssa Thomas is leaving the team that drafted her after spending eleven seasons. This also indicates that star forward and the five-time All-Star‘s fiancée DeWanna Bonner could follow her to rejoin her former team.

How Alyssa Thomas’ move impacts Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese

Alyssa Thomas and possibly DeWanna Bonner moving to the Phoenix Mercury could leave the Connecticut Sun severely depleted. They have receiving Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen in return. But neither of them are as dominant as the soon to be married duo.

That could give Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever a chance at moving deeper into the playoffs. Last season, they clashed against the Sun and were swept in the first round. The hate-based discourse surrounding those games dominated fan narratives.

But if the two were to clash today, the odds were much more balanced. The WNBA’s Rookie of the Year and her Fever could probably wring out a playoff win or two. Angel Reese and her Chicago Sky are not playoff ready yet.

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But if they could add a couple of important pieces in this offseason, they could contend with the Sun in the years to come. The WNBA does not have the same East-West playoff system as the NBA. However, to reach those playoff spots, one has to win a lot of games.