The Atlanta Dream are going to the WNBA Finals.
As the Atlanta Hawks prepare for the upcoming season, they'll aim to match the impressive competitiveness of the team currently sharing their home arena.
While a visit to the Finals isn't the most realistic outcome for the young Hawks this time around, a slow climb to the top is anticipated. It may not be this year, or even the next, but they're more than on the right track.
Winning culture is contagious. Maybe all it will take is the Dream breaking the city's curse and beginning a trend with every other Atlanta team.
Hawks must lean into their defensive identity, much like the Dream
One of the biggest reasons for the success of their WNBA counterpart this season was their team-wide buy-in on the defensive end.
Since the Hawks acquired Dyson Daniels in the 2024 offseason, they've been slowly building a stacked defensive-minded group.
The Dream sped up their timeline rapidly by acquiring Angel Reese from Chicago the offseason before the year that ended with them in the Finals.
Reese, 24, earned Defensive Player of the Year honors for the 2026 season, her first as a member of the Dream. Sometimes a change of scenery is needed for a player to unlock the fullest version of themselves.
Atlanta - the Hawks, that is - may soon experience something eerily similar. Two of their newest additions may also benefit from being in a new destination.
Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins - two crucial depth pieces to Oklahoma City's championship run in 2025 - were acquired by the Hawks this summer after both had an underwhelming follow-up campaign.
Atlanta is counting on each of them to return to championship-level form, and given the upward trajectory of the roster, they'll have a golden opportunity to do exactly that.
Defense wins championships, and Atlanta fans are quickly learning that
If the Dream ultimately take home the 2026 WNBA Championship, it will be a huge win for not only the franchise, but for the city.
Atlanta hasn't experienced a championship since the Braves won it all in 2021.
Dream got us 🙏
— Zach Langley (@ZachLangleyNBA) October 8, 2026
It's no secret as to how the Dream got to where they are now. They did what the Hawks are currently doing. They reshaped their identity and leaned on their youth. Now, they're just a few wins away from bringing home a championship to the city.
Atlanta sports are on the rise. The Hawks have a chance to finish what the Dream started.
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