The Atlanta Dream are not tinkering around the edges. On Saturday, they locked up the heart of a 30-win machine, re-signing Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones, Jordin Canada and Naz Hillmon. The deals reunite the five players who drove a franchise-record 30-win season in 2025 and come just days after Atlanta landed two-time All-Star Angel Reese. Put it all together, and the Dream are planting an early flag as one of the WNBA's title favorites heading into the new season.
Core Re-signed, Front Office Praises Commitment
In a team release posted by the WNBA, the Dream confirmed multi-year deals that keep their primary contributors in place for the long haul. General manager Dan Padover framed it as a statement of intent, saying, "This is a group that believes in Atlanta, believes in each other and is united in the pursuit of a championship," while coach Karl Smesko called the re-signed core "the standard for Atlanta Dream basketball." The organization presented the moves as a defining moment for its current championship window.
Why It Matters For Atlanta
The signings preserve not only the engine behind last season's franchise-record 30 wins but also the memory of the way it ended: a deciding Game 3 loss to the Indiana Fever in the first round of the playoffs. As reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Allisha Gray finished fourth in MVP voting and earned All-WNBA First Team honors, while Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon delivered production on par with All-Star and Sixth Player of the Year levels. Keeping that kind of output together gives Atlanta the sort of continuity many contenders lack in an era defined by free-agency churn.
Angel Reese Trade Reshapes Frontcourt
All of this follows the blockbuster trade for Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky, a deal that cost the Dream future first-round picks and immediately reshaped the frontcourt depth chart. According to ABC News, Reese, a two-time All-Star and elite rebounder, said she is "focused on continuing to grow my game" after landing in Atlanta. Paired with Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon, Reese gives the Dream a physical, glass-crashing front line that could tilt matchups in the Eastern Conference.
Rotation Questions Remain
Of course, stockpiling talent is the easy part. Sorting out who plays when is where it gets interesting, especially at the four and five spots, where Jones, Hillmon and Reese all expect significant minutes. Local coverage from Peachtree Hoops has already flagged those rotation crunch points, noting that a healthy, fully available roster forces coach Karl Smesko into some tough lineup calls that could shape the team's late-season stamina. How the Dream juggle their scoring wings, veteran floor general Jordin Canada and a loaded interior group will be the central subplot of training camp and the season's opening weeks.
What To Watch
The Dream open the 2026 regular season at home on May 17 against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, with several games shifted to the larger State Farm Arena to meet rising demand. As reported by WNBA, keeping Gray, Howard, Jones, Canada and Hillmon intact, then adding Reese on top, positions Atlanta to chase a championship while stress-testing its roster blueprint. The national spotlight will be waiting to see whether last year's record season turns into something more when the playoffs roll around.
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