Atlanta Dream

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard's status for the Paris Olympics this summer appears to be in jeopardy.

Howard, who is a member of the Team USA 3x3 team, exited Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Lynx with an apparent ankle sprain, per ESPN's Michael Voepel. The injury occurred in the third quarter of Atlanta's 68-55 loss, and head coach Tanisha Wright said after the game that Howard would be further evaluated on Thursday.

Howard's injury is another potential blow to the 3x3 team, as Los Angeles Sparks rookie forward Cameron Brink suffered a torn ACL earlier this week that will cause her to miss the remainder of the WNBA season as well as the Paris Olympics.

TCU's Hailey Van Lith and former WNBA player Cierra Burdick are the other remaining members on the roster, so USA Basketball is certainly hoping that it will only have to find one new member instead of two.

Rhyne Howard had her defender LOST in the 3x3 tourney 😮‍💨

(via @FIBA3x3)
pic.twitter.com/3WiKT6M0Z5

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 24, 2024

Team USA took home gold in the inaugural 3x3 tournament in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. That team included WNBA stars Allisha Gray, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Stefanie Dolson, and Young and Plum are members of this year's 5-on-5 Olympic team.

A two-time All-Star, Howard is averaging 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals this season. She would undoubtedly be an impact player in the Paris Olympics, so fans are hoping she could recover in time to play on the 3x3 team.

The Atlanta Dream are finalizing a trade to acquire Allisha Gray from the Dallas Wings, according to ESPN's M.A. Voepel.

Gray averaged 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 33 games with Dallas in 2022. She also shot a career-best 40.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Khristina Williams of Girls Talk Sports TV reported last July that Dallas was expected to shop Gray in trades this winter.

The 28-year-old is under contract for one more season and earns $169,600 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

From the moment Dan Padover was hired as Atlanta's general manager in October 2021, a move like this was inevitable. He was the two-time reigning Executive of the Year and helped to build the Las Vegas Aces into a title contender.

The Dream were already aggressive by trading up to the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA draft to select Rhyne Howard. Sooner or later, Padover would begin pursuing marquee veterans to get the franchise to the next level.

Gray should help Atlanta do just that.

Focusing purely on the Dream's record (14-22) and 10th-place finish doesn't do justice to the progress they made under first-year head coach Tanisha Wright.

Howard was exactly as advertised, averaging 16.2 points, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals en route to making the All-Star team and winning Rookie of the Year.

Aari McDonald, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021, took a step forward in her second year, particularly on defense. Atlanta allowed 7.5 fewer points per 100 possessions when she was on the floor, per WNBA.com.

Naz Hillmon emerged as a solid supporting big in the frontcourt, averaging 12.8 rebounds per 100 possessions, according to Basketball Reference.

In 2018, the Dream won 23 games and pushed the Washington Mystics to five games in the WNBA semifinals. They immediately fell off a cliff, winning 23 combined games over the next three years.

This time around, Atlanta has laid a more solid, sustainable foundation.

Acquiring Gray almost certainly won't be Padover's only major piece of business.

Prior to the trade, the Dream had $852,573 in salary-cap space. Even if they don't send any players to Dallas in the swap, they'd have ample money to spend on free agents over the next month or two.

The New York Liberty traded AD to the Atlanta Dream for Megan Walker and the rights to 2021 second-round draft pick Raquel Carrera.

NYC➡️ATL | Welcome home, 🅰️D‼️

📝 https://t.co/g5HN7sz9Vi pic.twitter.com/tAwQTXYmbR

— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) June 8, 2022

The Next's Spencer Nusbaum first reported the deal.

"We are excited fort the opportunity to add AD to our roster," Dream head coach Tanisha Wright said. "We understand the obstacles AD has fought through to get back to playing basketball, and we look forward to teaming up with them and continuing that journey. AD’s talent speaks for itself, and we think there is no better place to unlock it than here in their home state."

AD is averaging 1.4 points and 0.4 assists in their first year back since 2019.

Walker is putting up 3.3 points and 0.8 rebounds per game. Rachel Galligan of Just Women's Sports reported the Liberty are expected to waive the 2020 first-round pick.

Jackie Powell of The Next reported New York is finalizing a deal with Marine Johannes. Walker's departure would free up a roster spot for the French guard.

Johannes averaged 7.2 points and shot 37.9 percent from three-point range in her first year with the Liberty in 2019.

More than anything, this resolves a dilemma for the Liberty that Powell outlined in May.

AD missed two full seasons after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Beyond the physical effects, the virus exacted a mental toll that impacted the 25-year-old's game.

"COVID has really thrown everything off, so now I have to retrain my brain to do everything," they told Powell. "It's kind of like I tell people how you're like you’re paralyzed and you're trying to learn how to walk again. That's kind of how it is now. And it's learning how to think, something so simple as thinking and doing something while you're thinking."

The Liberty have done their best to help AD play themselves back into game shape and rediscover their feel on the court. Injuries to DiDi Richards, Betnijah Laney and Jocelyn Willoughby forced head coach Sandy Brondello to lean on AD more than she probably expected.

But the early results haven't been promising amid a disappointing 4-8 start for the Liberty.

The scarcity of roster spots available in the WNBA—teams are capped at 12 players and in some cases can only carry 11 in order to stay under the salary cap—made it difficult to justify keeping AD on the squad. That was especially true for New York given its injury situation and need to improve its ninth-place standing.

When she arrives, Johannes is likely to make more of a difference over the rest of the season.

AD, a native of Douglasville, Georgia, will now get to play closer to home. And while the Dream sit fifth in the WNBA at 7-5, they're also in a period of transition as they build around Rhyne Howard. Atlanta is better positioned to let AD have the rest of the year to rediscover their form.

The Atlanta Dream selected Kentucky star Rhyne Howard with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA draft on Monday.

The moment @Howard_Rhyne heard her name called as the #1 pick in the #WNBADraft presented by @statefarm pic.twitter.com/99Y8dA25sv

— WNBA (@WNBA) April 11, 2022

With the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, the Atlanta Dream have selected Rhyne Howard ⭐️

Howard’s averages at Kentucky this season:
20.5 PPG
7.4 RPG
3.3 APG pic.twitter.com/htYki8cucP

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 11, 2022

With the first pick of the 2022 #WNBADraft, the @AtlantaDream select @KentuckyWBB's Rhyne Howard 👏 pic.twitter.com/ns6nKWg1tU

— ESPN (@espn) April 11, 2022

She's the first Kentucky player selected first overall in the WNBA draft.

Top Cats 😼 @UKAthletics

Rhyne Howard joins an exclusive group of Wildcats to be drafted No. 1 overall‼️ pic.twitter.com/uKwCgCAHHn

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 11, 2022

First-year general manager Dan Padover made his most aggressive move of the offseason when Atlanta jumped to the top of the draft, leaping ahead of the Indiana Fever.

Howard and Baylor's NaLyssa Smith have been widely viewed as the top two players in the 2022 draft class. Once the Dream occupied the No. 1 spot, Howard became the firm consensus favorite to be the first name off the board.

Here’s the inside look of the @AtlantaDream War Room. #1 overall and they select Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard. Dream GM Dan Padover announcing the pick over the phone. A really cool moment for this franchise. They knew who they wanted at 1. They got her! Welcome to the A Rhyne. pic.twitter.com/DoQ3RBx3Uq

— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) April 11, 2022

Chennedy Carter had a bright start to her WNBA career, averaging 16.1 points and 3.4 assists through 27 games. Carter is now a member of the Los Angeles Sparks, however, following a 2021 season that saw her get suspended by the Dream for conduct detrimental to the team.

Courtney Williams, a 2021 All-Star who led the team with 16.5 points per game, returned to the Connecticut Sun this offseason as well.

That left Atlanta in need of a young scorer to lead the offense in 2022 and beyond.

Howard averaged 20.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a senior for the Wildcats. She shot 44.1 percent from the field and displayed good range (38.3 percent on threes). Per Her Hoop Stats, she averaged 1.12 points per scoring attempt and ranked 10th in Division I in offensive win shares (8.5).

Question for Rhyne Howard: "Are you ready for the next level."

She was ready 3 years ago.

— Eric Crawford (@ericcrawford) April 11, 2022

the chip on rhyne howard's shoulders paid off. top pick in the wnba draft pic.twitter.com/BpBbkY4fIS

— buckets (@buckets) April 11, 2022

The 6'2" guard will be a good fit alongside Aari McDonald.

Very excited to see what Atlanta can do with a lot of runway with Aari McDonald and Rhyne Howard.

— Chantel Jennings (@ChantelJennings) April 11, 2022

For the Dream, languishing in mediocrity would've been better than what they endured following a 23-win season in 2018. Atlanta combined to win 23 games between 2019 and 2021 and had to deal with a seemingly never-ending series of off-court strife.

Poaching Padover, a two-time WNBA executive of the year, was a tone-setter, though.

A rebuild won't happen overnight. The Dream have four players under contract beyond this coming year, illustrating how the organization is in a transitional period. Padover will have a ton of salary-cap space in 2023 with which to make immediate upgrades to the roster.

Selecting Howard is the first step in Atlanta's quest for a first-ever WNBA title.

The Atlanta Dream have shaken up the first round of the 2022 WNBA draft.

The team announced Wednesday it acquired the No. 1 overall pick from the Washington Mystics in return for the No. 3 and 14 picks in this year's draft. The Mystics will also have the opportunity to swap first-rounders with what was the Los Angeles Sparks' 2023 first-round pick, which went to Atlanta in the Erica Wheeler trade.

The No. 1 Draft pick is headed to the 🅰️‼️ #DoItForTheDream pic.twitter.com/sJqOtGwW9Q

— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) April 6, 2022

The Dream must covet Baylor's NaLyssa Smith or Kentucky's Rhyne Howard, who are widely considered the two best players in the 2022 draft class.

Smith averaged 22.1 points and was one of the country's best rebounders. She collected 11.5 boards per game and ranked 50th in total rebounding rate, per Her Hoop Stats. Howard is a more natural scorer, averaging 20.5 points and shooting 38.3 percent on three-pointers in her senior year with the Wildcats.

Had Atlanta stayed at No. 3, there's little chance Smith or Howard would still have been available.

The Dream are a bit of a blank slate under general manager Dan Padover, who was hired last October. They didn't make any significant moves in free agency, and their biggest transaction was sending Chennedy Carter to the Los Angeles Sparks.

With only four players under contract in 2023, Padover seems to be laying the foundation for the future. To that end, either Smith or Howard would make sense.

Elizabeth Williams signed with the Mystics, so Howard would serve as a long-term replacement for the 2017 All-Star. The departures of Carter and Courtney Williams created the need for a scorer, though, and the 6'2" Howard would add size in the backcourt next to the 5'6" Aari McDonald.

Dream fans might have felt a little underwhelmed this offseason because hiring Padover, a two-time WNBA Executive of the Year, certainly sent a message. After winning 23 games over the past three years, the franchise is tired of irrelevancy.

Between having the No. 1 pick in 2022 and a ton of salary cap space in 2023, big things could be coming for Atlanta over the next few years. 

The Atlanta Dream and Los Angeles Sparks are working on a trade centered around Chennedy Carter and Erica Wheeler, according to Winsidr's Rachel Galligan and The Next's Spencer Nusbaum.

Carter and the rights to Li Yueru, a third-round pick by Atlanta in 2019, would go to the Sparks in return for Wheeler, the No. 15 pick in the 2022 draft and the Sparks' 2023 first-rounder.

Carter last played for the Dream in a 118-95 loss to the Las Vegas Aces last July. One day after the game, the team suspended her for conduct detrimental to the team.

Dan Padover took over as Atlanta's general manager this offseason. He said in October he would "reach out to each of the players on our roster, including Chennedy, and take the winter to figure out the structure of our roster."

In addition to Padover, the Dream have a new head coach in Tanisha Wright.

One presumed a new front office and coaching staff would allow Carter to have a clean slate in Atlanta. Instead, she'll have a totally fresh start in 2022 in Los Angeles.

The 23-year-old is averaging 16.1 points and 3.4 assists per game through her first two seasons. She has flashed some of the scoring prowess that made her one of the most exciting talents in college basketball during her Texas A&M run.

It's not hard to see why the Sparks would be willing to gamble on Carter's upside.

Los Angeles is creating a lot of cap space by exchanging Wheeler's $185,400 salary for the $76,297 owed to Carter for 2022. The team now has more wiggle room to sign a marquee star, with Liz Cambage the best free agent still on the board.

This move for Los Angeles opens up cap space for two more significant players in addition to Katie Lou Samuelson, Chennedy Carter and the 2022 No 9 pick. https://t.co/2ilstpeLEh

— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) February 5, 2022

Surrendering their 2023 first-round pick could be a steep price to pay, though.

Next year's draft class will be loaded in the top half, with South Carolina's Aliyah Boston, Stanford's Haley Jones and potentially Kansas State's Ayoka Lee headlining the group. Lee can declare for the 2022 draft but indicated in January she plans to stay for her senior year.

Wheeler was an All-Star in 2019 and averaged 13.6 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Sparks in 2021. Considering she's eligible for free agency in 2023, that draft pick could be the real prize for Atlanta.

Should the Sparks miss the playoffs again or only muster an eighth-place finish, Atlanta will be in a great position to add a young star to its foundation.

Former WNBA player Tanisha Wright has been named head coach of the Atlanta Dream, the franchise announced Tuesday. 

Wright has spent the last two seasons working as an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces. 

"It's an honor to be chosen as head coach for the Atlanta Dream, and I'm excited to play a role in building a successful organization centered around the player experience," Wright said in a statement. "I have been part of championship teams and understand what it takes to win in this league. I look forward to bringing my talents to this franchise and helping the Dream achieve success."

Wright becomes the fifth Black coach in the WNBA, per ESPN's Mechelle Voepel. The 37-year-old played in the league from 2005-19, winning a championship in 2010 with the Seattle Storm. She averaged 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists in her 14 WNBA seasons.

Before joining the WNBA, Wright was a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Penn State and was named a first-team USBWA All-American. 

Wright takes over an Atlanta team that went 8-24 this season. The Dream haven't made the playoffs since the 2018 campaign. 

Atlanta has had plenty of turnover in the last few months, and Wright is only the latest addition to the franchise. The team was recently sold to new ownership after players strongly objected to former co-owner Kelly Loeffler, who was vocally opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement and the players' social justice work.

Atlanta also fired general manager Chris Sienko after April's WNBA draft, and head coach Nicki Collen left to take the women's head coaching job at Baylor. 

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts tweeted their interest in putting together an ownership group for the Dream in January, but that plan ultimately fell through as the franchise was sold to a group that includes real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener, former Dream guard Renee Montgomery and Suzanne Abair, president of Northland Investment Corp.       

The Atlanta Dream were initially unaware of the full circumstances in the fight that involved Courtney Williams and Crystal Bradford.

Dream co-owner Renee Montgomery said Wednesday on ESPN that the team "saw a clip in May that was 10 to 15 seconds long, with no context" and took the word of Williams and Bradford that they were acting in self-defense.

"But the thing is, we only understood the magnitude of the situation when we saw that the fuller clip was posted [over the weekend]," she said.

Marcus Crenshaw, who represents Williams and Bradford, said in an Instagram Live interview with Girls Talk Sports TV's Khristina Williams the Dream "knew about the situation months ago."

Courtney Williams brought the situation back to light when she uploaded a clip of the fight in a since-deleted video to her YouTube channel. She issued an apology Monday:

https://twitter.com/CourtMWilliams/status/1445045355142340619

Business Insider's Meredith Cash reported the incident occurred in late May (the Dream opened the season May 14) and that tensions escalated "when someone commented on Williams' girlfriend."

The Dream provided a statement to Cash: "The behavior in the video is unacceptable and does not align with our values as an organization. We are taking this matter very seriously and working with the league to gather more information and determine next steps."

Crenshaw also confirmed a report from The Next's Howard Megdal that Atlanta informed Williams and Bradford they won't be back for the 2022 WNBA season. Both players are due to be free agents this offseason.

The drama added to an already tumultuous season for the Dream.

Less than two weeks before Atlanta's opener, head coach Nicki Collen left to take the vacant Baylor women's basketball job. Mike Peterson took over on an interim basis, only to step down from that post in July.

The franchise also remains without a general manager after firing Chris Sienko in April.

And before the furor over Williams and Bradford's fight, the Dream were the subject of the biggest off-court story in the league after suspending Chennedy Carter in July for conduct detrimental to the team. 

Carter, the No. 4 overall pick in 2020, hasn't stepped onto the court since a 118-95 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on July 4. She appeared to allude to the current turmoil engulfing the organization:

somewhere with folks with class , somewhere with people who embrace your talent , somewhere that your loved , somewhere you can actually win ….

— H O L L Y W O O D 🛬 (@ChennedyCarter) October 3, 2021

Since they're now out of contract with the Dream, Williams and Bradford may not be subject to any discipline from the team.

However, Montgomery indicated Atlanta has reached out to the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association regarding the matter.

The Atlanta Dream suspended Chennedy Carter indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. 

Carter logged 5:34 on the court in Sunday's 118-95 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Spencer Nusbaum of The Next reported Carter and another Dream player had a verbal exchange in the first quarter.

One question the Dream faced coming into the season was how they'd spread the ball around their backcourt. They had Tiffany Hayes coming back and selected Aari McDonald with the No. 3 overall pick to join a unit that already included Carter and Courtney Williams.

Nicki Collen's departure for Baylor, 11 days before Atlanta was set to open the season, only complicated matters.

Carter hasn't found herself pushed down the rotation. The 22-year-old is averaging 14.2 points and 3.3 assists, and her usage rate has fallen only slightly from 31.9 percent to 26.5 percent, according to Basketball Reference.

The Dream selected the former Texas A&M star with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft. That they would suspend her—indefinitely, no less—is bound to raise questions about her future with the team.

There are only 144 roster spots to go around in the WNBA, which makes it difficult for a team to carry a player who's not producing or one who is causing problems. Lauren Cox was selected one pick ahead of Carter, and the Indiana Fever have already moved on from her.

In the event the Dream feel they have no choice but to jettison Carter, they'd likely have some suitors ahead of the Aug. 21 trade deadline.

The 5'9" guard is an explosive scorer who averaged 22.5 points over three years with the Aggies. Her electric offense has largely carried over to the next level. She dropped 35 points in her sixth career game.

Losing Collen put Atlanta behind the eight ball before the team even took the floor in 2021. Now, an already rough season is getting even worse with Carter's suspension.

The Atlanta Dream announced their broadcast crew for the 2021 WNBA season, which will be the franchise's first all-Black and all-female announce team.

LaChina Robinson and Tabitha Turner will work as color analysts, with Angel Gray and Autumn Johnson filling out the group.

We're so excited to have @LaChinaRobinson, @TabTurnerTV1, @Angel_Gray1 and @autumnjohnsontv in @GatewayArena this season as our very first all-Black, all-female broadcast team 🙌

📰 » https://t.co/AxqOExBEzP #GoDream pic.twitter.com/tGbTevGCVp

— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) May 10, 2021

Home is where the heart is!!! 🍑

Elated to return to ATL & cover the @AtlantaDream for the @wnba’s 25th season!! This journey is storybook!!! So excited to cover this young & talented group. Let’s get this ladies!!! #WNBA https://t.co/nRUWsm6ok4

— Angel Gray (@Angel_Gray1) May 10, 2021

Robinson had previously spent 11 seasons on the commentary table for the Dream. The franchise chose to move on from Robinson and play-by-play announcer Bob Rathbun ahead of the 2019 season, with High Post Hoops' Howard Megdal reporting they would've had to accept a 35 percent pay cut to remain in their roles.

Ownership of the Dream has since changed hands, with majority governor Larry Gottesdiener leading a group that includes former guard Renee Montgomery.

"When Renee called me about coming back to the Dream it was a no-brainer," Robinson said in the team's announcement Monday. "There is a palpable energy around the WNBA and the city of Atlanta that is undeniable. I'm honored to be a part of what the Dream is building under new leadership in this historic 25th season of the league."

Gray previously worked for the franchise in 2015 and 2016 as well. The Stone Mountain, Georgia, native works as the Cleveland Cavaliers' sideline reporter.

Turner and Johnson also have ties to the region. Turner played for the Georgia Tech women's basketball team before covering a number of sports in the Atlanta area. Johnson is from the state and attended Kennesaw State prior to earning her current gig as a host and reporter for the NBA 2K League.

The Dream will open their season at home Friday against the Connecticut Sun.