The Atlanta Dream made their biggest move of the offseason Monday, acquiring two-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky in exchange for first-round picks in the 2027 and 2028 WNBA drafts, along with the right to swap second-round picks in the 2028 draft.
Atlanta’s trade for Reese reshapes the Dream’s frontcourt and signals another aggressive start in this year’s free agency as general manager Dan Padover and head coach Karl Smesko seek to build on a franchise-best 30-win season in 2025.
“Angel [Reese] is a dynamic talent and a perfect fit for what we are building in Atlanta,” Padover said in the Dream’s official release of the trade regarding Reese. “She has already proven herself as one of the most impactful players in the league, and her competitiveness, production and drive to win align seamlessly with our vision.”
When asked to speak with Padover about the blockbuster trade, the Dream declined to make him available for comment.
Reese has become one of the most dominant interior players in the WNBA. In two seasons, she has averaged 14 points and 12.8 rebounds and has recorded 49 double-doubles. She also led the league in rebounding in 2025 and earned WNBA All-Rookie honors in 2024.
“I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to join the Atlanta Dream organization,” Reese said in the team’s release. “I’m focused on continuing to grow my game, competing at the highest level, connecting with the fans and giving everything I’ve got to the Dream.”
Reese’s arrival in Atlanta provides the franchise with another high-motor rebounding presence to pair along with the Dream’s core and will both complement and add to Smesko’s scheme.
“Angel’s ability to impact game on both ends of the floor is elite,” Smesko said in the release. “He energy, her toughness and instincts will thrive in our system, and we’re excited to integrate her into the style of play we are constructing here in Atlanta.”
The news of Reese’s arrival in Atlanta comes three days after the Dream lost guard Maya Caldwell and forward Nyadiew Puoch in the WNBA expansion draft to the Portland Fire.
While both departures affect depth, neither move significantly altered Atlanta’s long-term outlook.
Caldwell emerged as a reliable wing in her most consistent stint with the Dream, appearing in 75 games across three seasons for the franchise. She played a larger role last year, averaging 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.5 minutes while shooting 35.5% from 3-point range and making 16 starts. She also improved defensively and on the glass.
After the expansion selection, Caldwell posted a message to Instagram:
“This one is bitter sweet. I’m going to miss all of you,” Caldwell wrote. “To my ATL staff, you were on my prayer board way before our first training camp together! GOD IS REAL! Thank you for believing in me since 2022. …To my teammates, my sista girls, I love yall down real bad. I’ve been in and out of Atlanta and every time I came back it felt as if I never left. …To my ATL fans and my Georgia family, I love you like a fat kid loves ice cream cake. Keep cheering on the dream team!! But when Portland pulls up yktv.”
Puoch, selected No. 12 overall in the 2024 draft, never appeared in a game for Atlanta. The 21-year-old remained in Australia, where she won a WNBL title with the Southside Flyers before a breakout season with the UC Capitals. She averaged 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals.
“…It’s like ‘let’s go over and see what happens’,” Puoch said, per ESPN.com. “I’m only 21 but I have been playing in the WNBL, against the best players for a while now and I’m excited to take the next step and challenge myself.”
Dream free agency outlook
Fresh off a blockbuster trade for Reese that adds to the Dream’s frontcourt, Atlanta will continue to shape the roster in free agency, which began Monday as part of the designation period. Team negotiations will run from April 8 to April 10, contracts can be signed starting April 11, and the WNBA draft is set for April 13.
While the finances of Reese’s deal have not been finalized yet, the Dream have significant flexibility. Only Te-Hina Paopao and Taylor Thierry are currently under contract, totaling $555,000 and leaving roughly $6.445 million in cap space under the league’s new CBA, which raised the salary cap to about $7 million (pending the monetary amount of Reese’s deal).
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Atlanta can carry seven protected contracts and two developmental spots under the new agreement. The Dream’s foundation remains intact. Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon headline the core, now complemented by Reese as a central frontcourt piece.
Gray led the team with 18.4 points per game, finished fourth in MVP voting — the highest finish by a Dream player since 2014 — and earned All-WNBA first-team honors. Howard averaged 17.5 points and 4.6 assists, while Hillmon contributed 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds and won Sixth Woman of the Year. Howard and Hillmon are restricted free agents, giving Atlanta the right to match offers from other teams.
Key decisions ahead for Dream
The Dream must evaluate six unrestricted free agents that include Gray, Jordin Canada, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Nia Coffey, Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner.
Atlanta is expected to prioritize Gray, Howard and Hillmon. Gray is the leading candidate for a core designation, which would secure her on a one-year supermax deal and give the Dream exclusive negotiating rights. Decisions surrounding Jones, Canada and Griner will shape the roster.
The Reese acquisition adds new context to decisions involving Jones and Griner in particular.
Jones, a four-time All-Star, averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 52.7% and played in all 44 games last season. She underwent meniscus surgery in February but is expected to return for this season. However, that remains to be determined. She played a key role as a stabilizing interior piece within the Dream’s perimeter-heavy scheme last season. Her skillset could still complement Reese, depending on the final construction of the roster.
Griner, a 10-time All-Star, averaged 9.8 points and 1.2 blocks in a reduced role after dealing with knee and neck injuries. Canada averaged 11.2 points and 5.7 assists in 28 games, providing a major boost when healthy. However, injuries and age could factor into contract considerations.
System fit remains priority for Dream
Dream coach Karl Smesko’s system emphasizes pace, ball movement and 3-point shooting.
Atlanta ranked near the top of the league in offensive rating (105.9), defensive rating (96.3) and net rating (9.6). The Dream also excelled in assist rate, rebounding and limiting opponent 3-point attempts.
Reese’s arrival strengthens the rebounding immediately. Her rebounding dominance and defensive presence will help generate more second-chance opportunities while anchoring the interior system otherwise built around perimeter play.
With Caldwell gone, the Dream must add wing depth and maintain versatility. Potential free-agent fits include Emma Meesseman, Cecilia Zandalasini and Kennedy Burke.
Meesseman offers frontcourt spacing in a five-out system, though her WNBA future remains uncertain. She didn’t play in the 2023 or 2024 regular seasons and signed with the New York Liberty after Eurobasket in late July before playing her first game in August. Zandalasini provides shooting and movement on the wing, and Burke could fill a role similar to Caldwell’s.
Atlanta also holds picks Nos. 13, 28 and 43 in the upcoming draft, giving the front office additional avenues to add depth. Trades — as seen already — still remain possibility as well.
With cap space, a defined system, the acquisition of Reese and a strong core, the Dream look poised to take another step forward in the 2026 campaign.
Dream’s upcoming season
Like all other teams, the Dream will play a 44-game schedule that includes a preseason matchup on April 29 against the Chicago Sky.
Atlanta’s schedule only includes one true back-to-back, June 26-27 when they face the Golden State Valkyries and then the Seattle Storm. However, Atlanta’s schedule is filled with compressed stretches against high-level opponents.
When looking at the Dream’s slate, 22 of their 44 regular-season games come against the other seven teams that competed in the 2025 WNBA playoffs. Atlanta opens the season on the road against the Minnesota Lynx, sees the Indiana Fever four times including twice in three days in June, gets the Storm, the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury in a six-day span from July 31 to Aug. 5, and then closes the regular season with consecutive road games at New York on Sept. 21 and 23.
The Dream’s home opener for the 2026 season will be May 17 against the Aces at State Farm Arena.
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