The 2025 season was an unquestioned success for the Atlanta Dream. After earning the three-seed in the playoffs with a 30-14 record, Atlanta won their opening playoff game against the Indiana Fever before losing the final two games of their series in an upset exit.
Despite the postseason disappointment, Atlanta proved they belonged in the conversation of playoff contenders. Coach Karl Smesko finished second behind Natalie Nakase for Coach of the Year across the league, with Naz Hillmon being recognized as the 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, Allisha Gray making the AP WNBA First Team, and GM Dan Padover named 2025 WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year. The Dream look to build on their momentum entering the 2026 season.
Avoiding Disastrous Departures
While fans are happy to return much of last year’s core, it cannot be overstated how much change could have occurred for the Dream’s starting lineup in the tumultuous WNBA offseason. CBA negotiations complicated the typical offseason timeline, with the expansion draft for two new expansion teams delayed, the start of free agency pushed back, and an incredibly condensed signing period overlapping with the rookie draft. A number of things had to go right for Atlanta to keep a majority of its lineup together going into the 2026 season.
First, players had to avoid being selected in the expansion draft by the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. Only five players were able to be protected by current teams (unless franchises worked out a deal to protect more players, as the Chicago Sky did by surprisingly sending away two second-round picks to protect their players). Atlanta lost Maya Caldwell and Nyadiew Puoch in the expansion draft. While the Australian Puoch had not suited up for the franchise as a “draft and stash” first-round selection in the 2024 draft, Maya Caldwell was a key contributor on last year’s team, averaging 18.5 minutes and 5.4 points per game in 41 appearances throughout the season.
A second obstacle for Atlanta was re-signing unrestricted free agents Brionna Jones and Jordin Canada. Canada was traded to Atlanta in 2024 (in a first-round pick swap, along with guard Aari McDonald going to the Los Angeles Sparks), so could have tested the free agency market this offseason. Jones was just signed last summer and is dealing with a torn meniscus injury suffered while playing overseas in the Czech Republic. Both players chose to re-sign on contracts commensurate with the increased salary cap: Canada for two years at $650,000 and Jones for three years starting at an even $1 million for 2026 with slight increases in 2027 and 2028.
A third key move by Atlanta was in negotiating new contracts for restricted free agents Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon, along with unrestricted free agent Allisha Gray. Atlanta used their one core designation on Allisha Gray to guarantee her return. All three players have since signed extensions that should both calm and invigorate Atlanta’s fan base regarding their speculative future. According to www.herhoopstats.com, the three returning players were signed for three seasons through 2028. Gray and Howard will both be making over $1.1 million per season, while Hillmon’s contract starts at $840,000 and increases to $860,000 in 2028.
The Angel Reese of It All
The Atlanta Dream front office would not be satisfied with simply bringing back a majority of the players that finished third in the league in 2025. To truly compete with the strongest squads around the league, Atlanta was going to have to add talent to the roster through trades or in free agency. While the Dream have not signed any new superstars to the team in free agency, they made what might be the biggest splash of the WNBA offseason by trading two first-round picks (in 2027 and 2028) to the Chicago Sky for third-year player Angel Reese.
At 23 years old, Angel Reese has been an All-Star in both of her WNBA seasons, finishing second to Caitlin Clark in the Rookie of the Year vote in 2024, and receiving points in 2024 league MVP voting. Reese led the league last season with 12.6 rebounds per game, despite playing alongside 6’7” Kamilla Cardoso, who finished fifth in the league with 8.5 rebounds per game. Only A’ja Wilson had more total rebounds than Angel Reese. Reese also led Chicago in minutes per game at 31.6. This performance built on her impressive 2024 season, when she broke Candace Parker’s record for most consecutive double-doubles (with 15) and set the WNBA single-season rebounding record despite sitting out the final six games of the year with an injury.
Angel is already one of the best rebounders in the league and could end up being, objectively, the WNBA’s greatest rebounder of all time. Last year’s free agent signings of Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones were notable for the Atlanta Dream franchise, as they have often struggled to sign big-name free agents. Adding those two bigs to the frontcourt shaped Karl Smesko’s offensive plan and impacted how other teams played the Dream.
Bringing in the star power of Angel Reese along with the fan base she draws may be an even more impactful move for Atlanta. Her threat at the glass will force teams to adjust their schemes, while potentially opening up space for Atlanta’s guards to have more open looks from three-point range. Writer Michael Waterloo, who covers the Dream extensively, quoted Coach Karl Smesko praising Angel Reese in her introductory press conference: “with her current skill set, she’s going to fit in great. You know, she makes us more versatile on offense and will get us extra possessions.”
In his pre-draft press conference, Dream GM Dan Padover shared that he planned to “draft the best player available.” With the 13th pick in this year’s rookie draft, Atlanta took the 6’6” Madina Okot out of the University of South Carolina. At a season ticket-holder draft watch party in midtown Atlanta, cheers erupted from attendees when Okot’s selection was announced, as fellow Gamecock Te-Hina Paopao watched alongside hundreds of Dream ticket holders. Okot will join Paopao and Allisha Gray out of the Dawn Staley system. Staley has spoken about her relationship with Karl Smesko, and the pipeline has proven fruitful for the Dream.
With their second-round pick, Atlanta took guard Indiya Nivar out of the University of North Carolina. Nivar has a reputation as a strong defensive player who increased her minutes, points, assists, rebounds, and steals each of her four years in college. In the third round, Atlanta drafted 19-year-old Chinese guard Kejia Ran. Nivar and Ran will be competing for a roster spot alongside several training camp signees, including rookie Laila Phelia out of Syracuse, Stephanie Jones (sister of Brionna Jones), and Holly Winterburn, who missed the 2025 season due to injury. Under the new CBA, teams have an additional roster spot compared to previous seasons, while also being able to name two players to developmental slots.
Training camps begin across the WNBA this week, with preseason games taking place later in April, before Atlanta’s first regular season game on the road against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, May 10. Atlanta’s home opener will take place at State Farm Arena on Sunday, May 17 against the Las Vegas Aces.
Which signings or draft selections are you most excited about for the 2026 season? Share with us in the comments below.
