A-Town is going up.
The 2025 WNBA season was just the start of a new era for the Atlanta Dream. Even if the team’s 30-14 season ended with an early playoff exit, there was enough evidence to believe that this team was on an upward trajectory.
Ahead of the 2026 season, the Dream are consolidating and accelerating. Here’s how the Dream have, and can continue to, expertly execute their offseason. Dreams fans, add your assessments in the comments.
1. The Dream have locked up their core—for multiple seasons
Entering the offseason, Atlanta was in position to retain
Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon, as Gray was a core-eligible unrestricted free agent and Howard and Hillmon were restricted. It was questionable, however, if the Dream would re-sign their other two starters, Brionna Jones and Jordin Canada, as both were unrestricted free agents.
Four of the five have been locked up, with only Howard yet to agree to a new deal.
Crucially, the organization has signed Gray, Hillmon, Jones and Canada to contracts that extend beyond one season, situating Atlanta to continue to cultivate the success with this core and head coach Karl Smekso into the 2027 season.
Gray is expected to ink a three-year deal at an annual amount that exceeds the regular max of $1.19 million; she is eligible for the $1.4 million supermax. Hillmon’s three-year and fully-guaranteed deal totals more the $2.5 million. Jones’ new contract has been reported as a multi-year deal, and Canada will sign a two-year contract for over $1.2 million in total value.
Atlanta is figuring out how to make sure that a group that was a great fit on the court is also fits together on their cap sheet.
How are we feeling Dream fans? Are you excited that the team has retained (presuming Rhyne’s re-signing is announced soon) their core? Or, were there other free agents that you wanted to see the Dream go after?
2. Angel Reese is coming to Atlanta
And then, there’s the Angel of it all.
So far, Atlanta has swung the most significant trade of the WNBA offseason, sending two future first-round picks to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Angel Reese.
As already articulated, Atlanta is well-equipped to help Angel become the best version of her basketball self, as the Dream staff quickly have established themselves as one of the best in the business at empowering players’ strengths while also expanding their games. For Reese, that means continuing to excel on the glass, experimenting more as a point forward and further developing her outside shot.
Presumably, Reese will slot in as the fifth starter over Hillmon, who began last season coming off the bench and won Sixth Player of the Year honors, or possibly Jones, a former Sixth Player of the Year herself with the Connecticut Sun. Smesko could also switch up his starting rotation, depending on matchups.
At first glance, Reese’s frontcourt partnership with Hillmon, due to her improved 3-point stroke, seems like the more intuitive fit. However, one of the most impressive things about Jones is that, despite how she profiles as a rather traditional big, she’s proven incredibly adaptable over her career, with experience succeeding alongside bigs of different archetypes. With the Sun, she served as the primary frontcourt partner for Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones; in her first season in Atlanta, she produced alongside Hillmon and Brittney Griner. Don’t sleep on the potential of the Breezy-Angel pairing!
Regardless, Reese’s arrival, combined with the returns of Jones and Hillmon, gives Smesko tons of frontcourt versatility and optionality. Although undoubtedly a star personality off the court, Angel can simply be a star in her role on the court for the Dream.
How do you see Angel fitting with the Dream? What combinations have you especially excited? Are you confident that her 3-pointer, as well as other latent skills, can be developed in Atlanta?
3. The Dream have the opportunity to draft another gem
Under general manager Dan Padover, the Dream have drafted two gems with picks in the teens with Hillmon (No. 15 in 2022) and Te-Hina Paopao (No. 18 in 2025). Atlanta has the No. 13 pick in Monday night’s draft. Can Padover hit on another contributor?
In his final mock draft, Eric Nemchock has the Dream going with Marta Suárez, emphasizing how the 6-foot-3 forward could give the team another stretch big. In his previous mock, Eric suggested Atlanta could take Cotie McMahon, whose skillset is a meld of the skills of Hillmon and Reese, albeit it at 6-foot-0.
Alternatively, Dream could use to pick to restock their bench wing depth, as they already lost Maya Caldwell to the Portland Fire in the expansion draft and it’s unknown if Nia Coffey will remain in Atlanta. However, barring Atlanta being blessed with one of Gabriela Jaquez or Gianna Kneepkens sliding—a not entirely impossible outcome after Paopao was available at No. 18 last year—no prospects projected in the No. 13 possess the two-way versatility of Caldwell or Coffey. Maybe a slight reach for Georgia native Kara Dunn could be an option?
With Griner off to the Connecticut, the Dream have a true center void they could address in the draft. If Madina Okot is still on the board, she might be the perfect pick. A bit of developmental project because of her limited basketball experience, Atlanta could invest into turning her into the ideal modern big: a 6-foot-6 center who not only will care of traditional big non-negotiable, from protecting the rim to cleaning the glass to working in screen-and-roll actions, but also is capable of picking and popping, hitting 3s and attacking off the dribble.
Is Okot the ideal for Atlanta? Or, do you have your eye on another prospect who can fill a more pressing need? And what are the chances that other teams again let a talented player drop to the Dream?
