Angel Reese trade gives Dream starting lineup an important ranking update originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Dream doubled their win total last season, improving drastically from a 15-25 season in 2024 to record the best record in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference at 30-14.
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Though the Dream suffered an early playoff exit at the hands of the injury-ravaged Indiana Fever, Atlanta enters the 2026 season with high hopes and championship potential following this month’s acquisition of two-time All-Star Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky.
Reese has tipped the scales in The Sporting News’ ranking of all 15 WNBA starting lineups published Monday. Atlanta’s lineup places third on the list, just ahead of Indiana and behind the past two WNBA champions, Las Vegas (second) and New York (first).
The Dream made it a point in free agency to run it back with as much of their core as possible. All-Stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are among the league’s most dangerous scorers. Naz Hillmon emerged as a vital role player in 2025 and was named Sixth Player of the Year after developing a reliable 3-point shot. Center Brionna Jones is a four-time All-Star who is extremely consistent offensively and among the WNBA’s best defensive bigs, too.
Then there is Reese, the two-time defending rebounding champion who is joining the league’s No. 1 rebounding team.
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Reese developed into a good ball-handler and auxiliary playmaker amid an injury crisis in Chicago last season. In head coach Karl Smesko’s high-powered offense, look for Reese to mix in some jumpers as she develops into an even more well-rounded threat.
The Dream already had great depth, ranked second in the WNBA in offensive efficiency and second in defensive efficiency as well. Adding Reese to that already-potent mix makes Atlanta one of the league’s elite teams entering the 2026 season — a campaign that could end with the Dream claiming their first championship.
