Atlanta Dream fire Tanisha Wright. Now it’s time to get serious.

The Atlanta Dream made what has felt like a long looming decision an official one. Who could end up as the next Atlanta Dream head coach?

On Wednesday afternoon, the Atlanta Dream made the official announcement that Tanisha Wright would not be returning as the head coach next season.

After being hired in 2022, Wright found herself doing more with less early on, leading the Dream to their most wins in four years at the time and finishing second in the WNBA Coach of the Year race.

However, since that 2022 season, there has been an increase in talent but the success levels have remain the same. In each of the three years with Wright at the helm, the Dream have not been able to reach a winning season. This year, with the most talent Wright has had, while certainly facing injury issues at times, they barely squeaked into the WNBA Playoffs.

The general consensus is that the Dream certainly have the talent to reach winning seasons with players such as Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard being the team foundations, but we have not seen that next step.

There are also young talents such as Haley Jones and Laeticia Amihere, who have also not seen that next step in the individual development realm.

So who can be the coach that can help the Dream take those next steps? Lucky for them, there are a couple new coaches on the carousel.

Curt Miller

Curt Miller, the recently departed coach of the Los Angeles Sparks, absolutely could be the one. Miller recently found himself in a situation where the Sparks were a bit stuck between mindsets, winning now and preparing for the future.

For the Dream, there are no questions about that. The goal is to win with this roster that they have and win quickly. Miller was able to show this during his seven year tenure with the Sun, where his team finished in the top-3 of the WNBA standings in six of those years.

Those teams also notably were veteran filled rosters. It would be a different style of play for the Dream, but Miller is a proven coach in the WNBA that could level this franchise up.

Teresa Weatherspoon

Speaking of coaches fresh to the job market, I think former Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon has a case here. A large part of the issues to me that the Dream faced had to do with the mindset and culture of the team itself. Weatherspoon could absolutely come in and solve that.

T-Spoon is someone that certain players have really been able to get behind, just go check Angel Reese’s timeline, and if the Dream roster buys in to the way she wants to play the game, it could help them reach the next tier in the WNBA.

There is a question of whether or not the in-game coaching is enough to justify the hire. But it’s important to note the baseline talent level of the Dream is far better than the Sky were this year. She deserves a second chance and Atlanta could be the place for her.

Katie Smith

We have thrown Katie Smith’s name out before in the Los Angeles Sparks head coaching column, but the current Minnesota Lynx assistant coach is a name you should be seeing pop up in every coaching search.

Smith checks a lot of boxes. Former player, been in the head coaching seat, championships on the resume, shared the bench with an Hall of Fame level head coach in Cheryl Reeve, and more. We have also heard several comments about how she has played a major role in developing players such as Bridget Carleton, which as mentioned before, we haven’t seen much of during Wright’s tenure in Atlanta. There is a lot to like about Smith’s case to get another shot leading the way as a head coach.

Tyler Marsh

Speaking of coaches that have been given a ton of credit for developing players, Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh has been given plenty, and rightfully so. It feels like every Aces player has at one point or another mentioned Marsh as having a massive impact on their game. The most glaring case to me is the development of Jackie Young, specifically with her three point shot.

With the amount of credit he has received, along with the experience of coaching alongside Becky Hammon during this Aces championship run, it isn’t hard to see how a team like the Dream could take the chance of hiring a first-time WNBA head coach in an attempt to recreate the Aces success.

Dawn Staley

OKAY OKAY FAMS I HEAR YOU! LET ME JUST HAVE SOME FUN!

Look. The chances of Dawn Staley being the next head coach of the Atlanta Dream are probably negative. HOWEVER, tell me there isn’t a fun case to be made here? You can’t.

You don’t need me to tell you how good Dawn Staley is, but I am going to do it anyways. This would be obviously a huge name to bring to Atlanta in the biggest moment women’s basketball has ever seen. Arguably the best mix of being an X’s and O’s and ‘player coach” we have seen. Players will come running to Atlanta to play for her (maybe even a certain unanimous M’VP). Atlanta becomes one of the main hotspots for women’s basketball across the world.

Will it happen? No. Does Dawn even have any interest in leaving South Carolina? Almost 100% no. Should the Dream make the call with blank check in hand? 100%.

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