The Atlanta Dream pushed the Golden State Valkyries to seven games in the WNBA Finals, and came up short in their attempt to win the franchise's first championship. It was a hard-fought series where the Dream showed they had the talent to win, but a Gabby Williams heater in the second half of the final game crushed any hope of them getting the job done.
Now, the Dream will go into the offseason seeing what they could do to improve their team, and it shouldn't be much after seeing how close they were this time around.
With their core of Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada returning, and Brionna Jones returning from injury, they could run it back with just a few tweaks.
What should the Dream add during the offseason?
As much as the Dream relied on their core this season, one of their main problems was that they relied on them a little bit too much. That could be due to depth issues and head coach Karl Smesko playing his wings, such as Howard and Gray, almost 40 minutes a game. After those two would come out, there weren't many options for the Dream to go to, which is why Smesko would have to stagger their minutes.
That was a good idea, but the Dream still needed some real depth behind them. Looking at who's available during free agency, the Dream won't go hunting for big fish, but someone like Rae Burrell would be a nice option to add to the team. Burrell had the best season of her career last season with the Los Angeles Sparks, averaging 14.6 points per game.
There's no doubt that she'll be getting a lot of interest during the offseason, and since she's a restricted free agent, it may take a little more than usual for the Sparks to move on from her.
The Dream may already have everything they need
As much as Burrell sounds like a good addition to the team, it wouldn't be a surprise if she was too pricey for the Dream, especially after the career year she had. Honestly, the Dream could stand pat this offseason and still be able to make a run to the WNBA Finals next season.
First off, getting Jones back will be very key for the team, and it was obvious that she was missed throughout the finals. Kiah Stokes proved to be a problem for Angel Reese at times, and if she had someone alongside her like Jones, she could've handled that physical matchup on the offensive end. The Dream also have another option in their frontcourt that could help in those situations, and it's Madina Okot.
Okot had some good moments during the season, but Smesko didn't play her as much in the playoffs, probably due to her inexperience. With her rookie season under her belt, Okot could play an important role for the Dream next season, which would give them more depth in the frontcourt.
Article Continues BelowAs much as their wing and guard depth may be a concern, Isobel Borlase showed that she could be a real combo guard for the Dream. She stepped up several times in the postseason and in the finals, and showed she wasn't scared of taking shots when she needed to. Her defensive intensity also went to another level, which helped her stay on the floor. With another year under her belt as well, she could play several roles for the Dream at a high level coming off the bench.
A name that went under the radar this season was their other rookie, Indya Nivar, who, when she got minutes earlier in the season, showed that she was ready to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball. There should be more minutes for her come next season, and hopefully she can grow into a role that the Dream needed this season.
Once the Dream got to this point of the season, depth seemed to be one of the main issues. There's no denying that Howard had her struggles throughout the series, but if there were some other options to substitute for her, those struggles probably wouldn't have been as big as they were.
With another year for their young players to grow, and Jones coming back into the fold, the Dream should be able to solve most of their issues that can help them make another run next season.