After Tanisha Wright’s departure, what’s next for the Atlanta Dream?

The move came nine days after Atlanta — a team that earned the No. 8 seed in this year’s postseason —was swept by the top-seeded New York Liberty in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Dan Padover, Dream general manager, spoke with reporters on Thursday about his vision for the team and why a new leader was needed for the future trajectory of the franchise. 

“We’re always looking at where we’re at and where we want to go,” Padover told reporters on a Thursday morning Zoom call. “… This was the decision that we made to position us best moving forward and to get us where we [want] to.”

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The Dream began the 2024 season with hopes of becoming a top four team in the league, especially with the offseason acquisitions of former MVP Tina Charles and veteran guards Jordin Canada and Aerial Powers. Those newcomers paired up with stars Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus.

Unfortunately, Atlanta was plagued by injuries in the first half of the season with Howard, Canada and Powers missing a combined 37 games. A depleted roster required players like Gray — who led the team in points per game this season — to take on bigger roles offensively while the Dream tried out seven different starting lineups from May up until the Paris Olympics/WNBA All-Star break. Despite the adversity, Atlanta managed to secure a berth in the playoffs in the final week of the season and back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.

Still, Wright’s tenure came to an end. Padover shared a limited blueprint of Atlanta’s next leader, one that must bring a great deal of ingenuity and can catapult the team to new heights.

“The head coach is a very unique position,” Padover said. “We want someone with a lot of creativity. … We want someone who brings joy to the players, the fan base, and someone that can elevate this team to take it to the next level.”

The Dream came to the decision to fire Wright this week and spoke with players about the franchise’s change in leadership. Wright finished her Dream tenure with a 48-68 mark across three seasons.

In her first season, Wright tallied 14 wins while registering 19 in her second season — only the sixth time the franchise has registered 19 or more wins in its 17 years of existence. The Dream finished with 15 wins in the 2024 campaign. Atlanta fought for its “playoff lives” through the final week of the season, defeating Chicago in its final home game and the Liberty in its regular season finale.

Before Wright took the reins of leadership with the Dream, Atlanta had not made an appearance in the postseason since 2018 when the franchise lost to the Washington Mystics in a best-of-five semifinal series under former head coach Nicki Collen. Shortly after Dream’s announcement on Wednesday afternoon, Wright tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), saying her experience in coaching the Dream was an “incredible” one. 

“I want to thank the Atlanta Dream organization for giving me an opportunity to lead such incredible people,” Wright tweeted. “Although our time together has come to an end, I wish nothing but the best as you continue your journey of being the best organization in sports.

“Change is inevitable for growth. This next season will be my season of growth.”

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As Atlanta transitions into new leadership, Padover didn’t shy away from the fact that the franchise will remain focused on building around Rhyne Howard as the franchise’s centerpiece. Currently, Canada, Gray and Howard are all under contract through the 2025 season. Dream forward Naz Hillmon, who emerged into Atlanta’s starting lineup in the second half of the season, will also be on a guaranteed contract next season. 

“Rhyne is our star,” Padover said. “We’ve been clear about that. Rhyne is going to do everything she can to make herself get better year in and year out. We’ve got a lot of good, talented players that we’re building around. No one loves this team more than Rhyne and we’re excited about the future.”

However, the biggest dominoes that remain include the future of Charles as well as the options for depth on the bench. 

Charles, 35, became the league’s all-time leader in total rebounds and double-doubles this season. Wright and Padover were instrumental in the eight-time All-Star coming to Atlanta in the offseason after not playing in the W during the 2023 campaign. 

Wright’s departure could play a significant part in Charles’ decision to stay in Atlanta, play for another team or retire. However, if Charles does stay — considering Padover is seeking a coach who can transform Atlanta schematically going forward — it could impact the future of Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who is now an unrestricted free agent. 

Ahead of the season, Parker-Tyus was excited about the addition of Charles because it allowed her to move back to her normal position of power forward. However, after starting 11 games in the first half of the season, Wright elected to bring Parker-Tyus off the bench to help with Atlanta’s flow and pace offensively as well as aid with points off the bench. Then, two games into the second half of the season, Parker-Tyus injured her right ankle, forcing her to miss the final 13 games of the regular season as well as Atlanta’s postseason contests. Beyond Parker-Tyus, injury sidelined Powers during the second half of the season, cutting further into bench production.

As the second half of the season unfolded and during Atlanta’s run to the postseason, players like Lorela Cubaj (rebounding), Maya Caldwell (scoring threat, defense), Nia Coffey and Haley Jones contributed in key moments. But in today’s changing WNBA landscape with more talent in the league than ever before, building a consistent and strong bench will be an important factor when considering Atlanta’s long-term future.

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By cutting ties with Wright, the Dream became the third franchise in less than two weeks to begin a coaching search. On Sept. 24, the Los Angeles Sparks parted ways with Curt Miller after two seasons. Three days after the Sparks’ decision on Miller, the Chicago Sky made waves in the WNBA landscape, electing to fire Teresa Weatherspoon after one season in the Windy City. Unlike Atlanta, the Sparks and the Sky failed to make the playoffs, despite Chicago entering the final week of the regular season clinging to the No. 8 spot in the standings. 

Wright’s departure also presented another stark data point for the league. Currently, Seattle Storm coach Noelle Quinn is the only Black head coach remaining in the WNBA, a league comprised mostly of Black athletes. When Padover was asked if race would be considered for the next coach, he said the franchise plans to have a diverse pool of candidates and affirmed that race did not play a role in the decision to part ways with Wright.

“I can’t speak for other teams but for the Dream, race will never play a decision in moving on from a head coach,” Padover said. “There’s no place for it in sports and there’s no place [for it] within the Dream.”