Angel Reese makes Atlanta Dream more popular, now she’s under pressure to win

There’s no doubt that forward Angel Reese makes the Atlanta Dream a more popular team. She has many high-profile endeavors off the court and an on-court rivalry with league sensation Caitlin Clark that goes back to college.

There’s also no question that Reese will make the Dream a better team. They acquired the two-time WNBA All-Star without sending Chicago a player in return, or even surrendering a pick in this year’s draft (the Sky will get first-round picks in 2027 and 2028).

The big question is whether Reese can make the Dream good enough to win their first WNBA championship. She’s under pressure to win big here after failing to make the playoffs in two seasons with the Sky, who selected her No. 7 overall in the 2024 draft.

Reese won an NCAA championship with LSU, but Chicago was 23-61 during her two years there. Reese essentially talked her way out of Chicago by publicly criticizing her teammates and the organization last season. The Sky executed a lopsided trade to get rid of her.

Speaking at an event for the fashion brand Coach in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Reese likened her trade to the Dream with her collegiate experience.

“Transferring from Maryland and going to LSU and winning a championship, it feels like déjà vu right now,” Reese said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “And I get chills right now because being a part of Chicago my first two years and going to Atlanta, I just feel that urge right now that I’m going to win again.”

We’ll find out soon if Reese can back up the talk. She’s got the game to do it.

Reese led the WNBA in rebounding during each of her two seasons. She’ll add toughness to a squad that lacked it while blowing a playoff series lead against short-handed Indiana in the first round last year. Reese gives the Dream an inside scoring option to go with guards Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, assuming they are retained.

However, the betting markets so far seem skeptical that Reese will move the needle much on the court for the Dream.

Sportsbooks are giving the Dream the fifth-shortest odds to win the title. Above them are the defending WNBA champion Lynx, Aces, Fever and Liberty. There’s a gap in odds from the Dream to the next team, the Mercury.

So, according to bookmakers, the Dream are at the bottom of the list of five teams most likely to win the WNBA championship. That’s after the Dream finished ahead of the Liberty and Fever in the 2025 standings, then added Reese.

Reese will get a chance to prove she can be a part of a championship contender in the WNBA. She’ll have better teammates here than she did in Chicago. The only departure so far from last year’s team is reserve guard Maya Caldwell, who was selected by Portland in the expansion draft.

Gray almost certainly will be back. The Dream reportedly designated her as a core player under the new collective bargaining agreement. Gray received a “supermax” qualifying offer, and the Dream hold exclusive negotiating rights for a new deal.

Dream reserves Te-Hina Paopao and Taylor Thierry are also under contract. The team will add to the roster as free agency begins this weekend (each team has a salary cap of $7 million under the new CBA). The Dream also have the No. 13 pick in Monday’s draft.

Re-signing Howard should be the Dream’s priority. They can match any deal she signs as a restricted free agent. The Dream also need frontcourt depth with Brionna Jones, Naz Hillmon and Brittney Griner eligible to become free agents.

The Dream got out in front of the league by trading for Reese before free agency. She’s already created plenty of buzz for the team.

StubHub reported on Thursday that demand for Dream tickets spiked dramatically after the trade. The Dream said Reese’s jersey sold out at the team store the day it went on sale. Reese’s mother, Angel Webb Reese, posted a message on social media that said she couldn’t get one in her size.