It was all a Dream, until Atlanta hit free agency

The Atlanta Dream ended the 2023 season with a first-round exit in the WNBA playoffs against the Dallas Wings. Despite the loss, Atlanta finished the season 19-21 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

This offseason a lot of attention has been around the moves that the Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, and Seattle Storm have made. Needless to say, the world should be on notice regarding Atlanta's colossal free agency.

Atlanta's front office in Dan Padover and head coach Tanisha Wright have done a great job of constructing and developing this roster. As of now, the roster's cornerstones include Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Cheyenne Parker.

During free agency, the franchise added Jordin Canada, Tina Charles, and Aerial Powers to their roster. All three players bring different aspects to the roster and will help provide experience to this young team.

Jordin Canada can help develop the young talent

Rhyne Howard is in a league of her own but oftentimes during last season, she forced tough shots and struggled to adjust to being double-teamed. As time goes on, she will continue to add to her impressive offensive arsenal.

Howard will develop with the addition of Canada who is the type of point guard that the Dream needs to help lead their team. She is a pass-first guard who can score when needed and get others involved.

Canada is a two-time champion (Seattle Storm) and will bring veteran experience to the team, not to mention she will help the offense flow. Her decision-making will help this team score in late-game situations, avoid complacency, and lock in on defense.

The UCLA product will help Parker, Charles, and Haley Jones in the front court with her court vision and ability to distribute the ball efficiently. She will also help newly acquired Powers, Asia Durr, and Gray get to their sweet spots and set them up for catch-and-shoot opportunities.

Tina Charles offers veteran leadership

The addition of Charles will be one of the most underrated additions in the offseason. She will help this team in the front court and will help take the stress off of Parker.

Charles last played in 2022 with the Storm (second half of the season) where she averaged 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 47.7 percent. Entering her 14th season in the WNBA she has the opportunity to provide the veteran presence.

TC will be able to help younger players develop and help them work through the grind of the season. Not to mention she will add to the level of focus on the team.

Another element that she will add is rebounding, second-chance opportunities, and creating offense through the pick-and-roll. But the most important addition will be having a player who has experienced just about everything but is willing to take people under her wing.

Aerial Powers adds roster depth

The last major area that was improved from the offseason for the Dream was the wing position. The team signed Powers which is a major pick-up.

Last season Powers, experienced a decrease in minutes and her role was minimal with the Minnesota Lynx. The change in scenery will help ignite the one-time WNBA champion.

Playing in Atlanta will be good for AP because she will have a bigger role (if healthy), and she will be able to start or come off the bench. During the 2023 season, the Dream only had three players that averaged double figures.

When given the opportunity the Michigan State product can give you 10-15 points a night and she is a lock-down defender that can guard positions 1-4 (if needed). As of late, her three-point shooting has been streaky but she can be lethal from three. During her time in Washington, she averaged 38.2 percent from three.

Powers will play great in the backcourt with Howard, Canada, and Gray. She adds versatility, ball handling, and roster depth. Last season Gray dominated on both ends of the ball along with Howard but the team struggled to get contribution out of the other wings/backcourt at times.

Asia Durr (AD), Jones, and Howard will learn a lot from Powers as the season goes on. For this team to compete for the title, they will need all hands on deck and another star to emerge.

With the current roster, they will have depth and the flexibility to throw multiple lineups out for opponents.