The Atlanta Dream are heading to the WNBA Finals, and that reality puts a little more heat on the Atlanta Hawks as they head into their next season.
The Hawks share a building with a team that has found its edge fast, and that kind of momentum has a way of spilling over. A Finals trip is not the most likely destination for this young Hawks group right now, but the expectation is that the climb is still coming.
Maybe not this season. Maybe not the next one either.
Still, they look pointed in the right direction.
What the Dream have shown is simple: winning habits travel. If they finish the job and bring home the 2026 WNBA Championship, it would mean more than one title for one franchise. It would give Atlanta something it has not had since the Braves won in 2021.
The clearest lesson for the Hawks is on the defensive end. The Dream’s rise was built on full-team commitment there, and Atlanta’s NBA team has been moving in that same direction since it brought in Dyson Daniels in the 2024 offseason. Since then, the Hawks have continued piecing together a defense-first group.
The Dream also accelerated their timeline by adding Angel Reese from Chicago in the offseason before the year that ended with a Finals appearance. Reese, 24, won Defensive Player of the Year for the 2026 season, her first with Atlanta. Sometimes a new setting brings out a different version of a player, and the Hawks could be hoping for something similar with two of their latest additions.
This summer, Atlanta added Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, both of whom had been important depth pieces during Oklahoma City’s championship run in 2025. Their follow-up seasons were underwhelming, but the Hawks are betting that a new home and a stronger roster around them can get them back to championship-level production.
The larger point is hard to miss. The Dream reshaped themselves, leaned into youth, and built a winning identity.
The Hawks are trying to follow the same path. And in a city that has gone without a championship since 2021, that blueprint suddenly feels a lot more relevant.
In Other News...
Hawks Preseason Opener Vs Pacers Could Reveal A Lot Fast
The Hawks preseason opener against the Pacers arrives with more intrigue than your typical October tune-up, especially with both teams still looking to sort out where they stand in the East. Atlanta has added a new defensive piece in Lu Dort, and this game may offer the first look at how he fits into the mix, while the broader backdrop is a matchup between clubs that expect the regular season to matter.
Kingston Flemings is another reason to watch closely after flashing in San Antonio, where the rookie posted a strong all-around preseason line. Player availability on both sides is still unsettled, so the actual rotation could look different by tipoff, but that uncertainty is part of what makes this opener worth keeping an eye on - it may tell us more than the final score does. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Stuck With Their New Identity Even When It Looked Rough Early
The Hawks got a useful early look at what this new version of the roster is supposed to be in a preseason win over the Spurs, and it was not always pretty. Atlanta came out flat from the perimeter, but the group kept its poise long enough to steady itself and turn the game around before the night was over.
CJ McCollum was part of the mix as the Hawks found better rhythm, and the energy shifted once the second quarter opened things up. Asa Newell, Corey Kispert and Kingston Flemings all had a hand in the swing, giving Atlanta the kind of balanced push it will be looking for when shots are not falling cleanly at the start. [Read more 🡒]