Just when it seemed like Unrivaled was cruising toward the finish line, everything changed. A surprise three-team trade in the middle of the season caught fans off guard and reshaped the league overnight.

After Aari McDonald was ruled out for the rest of the year with a “right lower extremity injury,” her team had no choice but to act fast, bringing in Courtney Williams from Vinyl to help steady the ship.

Saniya Rivers (Hive) and Azura Stevens (Rose) also joined new sides in Vinyl and Hive, respectively. However, the deal made public by the league does not specifically elaborate if Rose got themselves a player in return, which is probably working up the fanbase even further, who are speculating if Angel Reese is actually coming back to play in the league to take up the spot of the missing player.

Well, Angel Reese’s return might still be on the cards, but as for McDonald, the season is well and truly over. Williams had joined Breeze to play under coach Noelle Quinn, and the team is presently ranked 4th with a 5-5 record. Courtney, at 3,1 will be the oldest player on the Breeze team, which has a young player base that consists of Paige Buckers, Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Kate Martin, and Dominique Malonga.

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Well, when you have a vet heading to a rookie team, you also have a rookie who will be joining a side laden with vets. Saniya Rivers’ journey to Vinyl will bring her close to veterans like Brittney Griner and Dearica Hamby.

As for Stevens, she would be looking to provide the much-needed confidence to a team that has been losing its way so far. A 3-7 W/L record tells you that things are looking dark, and an immediate switch-up would be the need of the hour.

But enough about the other stars, what does this new trade deal mean for Angel Reese? Does it mean that she is on her way back and will be playing the remainder of the season? Well, the fans certainly feel that way.

Why Angel Reese’s Past Success Still Shapes Rose BC’s Present

No matter what happens in women’s basketball, Angel Reese’s name gets thrown into the mix. Reese has been a magnetic presence whose absence is speculated upon, researched upon, and also debated. So with these trade-offs happening, fans also seemed to find their connections by linking it to a possible Angel Reese return.

“Rose getting Angel back?” hinted a fan, showing genuine interest in a possible Reese return.

But what would make the fans feel that way? Just because trade-offs are ongoing doesn’t guarantee Angel Reese’s return. If she wanted to return, maybe she would have done so a month earlier, not when the season ends in a month’s time, but never say never.

Angel, meanwhile, appears focused on her offseason training and getting back into peak shape. In a recent Instagram post showing off her toned physique, she wrote, “i love offseason training & oh the results even better,” suggesting that February may still be a bit too early for her to shift her attention back to league play.

“Angel Reese, you are Unrivaled!,” wrote a fan about how Reese defines Unrivaled.

Angel’s maiden season at Unrivaled helped Rose become the inaugural season winners. The two-time WNBA All-Star led Unrivaled in rebounding and anchored the 3-on-3 league’s best scoring defense in 2025 and was also voted as Unrivaled’s first Defensive Player of the Year. So will she be returning to help Rose climb up the table again?

“ANGEL COMING BACK TO SAVE ROSE BC,” said one fan who looked pretty confident regarding a Reese return.

Well, Rose BC sits in the middle of the standings, but the wins haven’t come as easily as they’d hoped. Night after night, Chelsea Gray has been doing the heavy lifting on offense, putting up big numbers and keeping the team competitive. Beyond her, though, consistent production has been harder to find, which only highlights how much Rose continues to rely on Gray to carry the load.

Surely having Angel Reese back now wouldn’t hurt because of how competitive she gets whenever she is on the court, and that might come across as a blessing, but then again, that’s a speculation, and until Angel gives an official confirmation to that, it will stay that way.