What Wright’s firing means for Dream, the WNBA coaching landscape

Atlanta Dream fired Tanisha Wright on Wednesday, marking the third WNBA team to part ways with its head coach since the end of the regular season on Sept. 19.

Wright went 48-68 in three seasons, including two playoff appearances. The Dream, whose last winning record came in 2018, were eliminated from the postseason both times. Still, Atlanta had not made consecutive playoff appearances since 2013-2014. But that wasn’t enough to save Wright’s job.

Atlanta was 15-25 this year despite several injuries, including leading scorer and Olympian Rhyne Howard missing 10 games.

Wright is the second former WNBA player to be fired as a coach in the past week; Teresa Weatherspoon was fired from the Chicago Sky on September 26 after just one season.

On September 24, veteran coach Curt Miller parted ways with the Los Angeles Sparks after just two seasons.

This leaves three positions open, as well as the position of head coach for the expansion Golden State Valkyries. The 2026 expansion teams in Toronto and Portland also need to hire coaches.

We take a look at Wright’s departure, the coaching landscape in the WNBA and discuss whether there may be additional head coaching vacancies this year.

Was Wright’s firing a surprise?

Less than Miller and especially Weatherspoon. Wright had three seasons, and while that’s still not a lot of time in a highly competitive league, it might be industry standard in professional sports these days.

The WNBA has never been in the spotlight like it is now. The pressure to win is greater than ever, as is the concern about falling too far behind the top franchises. Perhaps these three coaches would have been given more time earlier.

Injuries are one of the hardest things to coach in any sport. Wright, Miller and Weatherspoon have all struggled with injuries this year that, had they not occurred, could have altered their seasons.

On the other hand, injuries are always a given and coaches have to deal with them.

Atlanta has been part of the fourth ownership group since the franchise’s launch in 2008. Dream general manager Dan Padover and Wright joined the Dream from the Las Vegas Aces in October 2021. Howard was the Dream’s No. 1 draft pick in 2022, and Atlanta traded for Allisha Gray in 2023.

Atlanta had two first-round draft picks in 2023: Haley Jones (No. 6) and Laeticia Amihere (No. 8). Earlier this year, Dream signed Tina Charles and Aerial Powers as free agents and traded to Jordin Canada.

Howard, Canada and Powers missed a total of 53 games due to injuries. Atlanta hit some rough patches, winning just twice in 15 games between June 11 and July 17. After the Olympic break, the Dream were 8-8, which allowed them to advance to the playoffs. But that wasn’t enough for Wright to keep her job. — Voepel

Over the course of 3 years, this was an incredible experience for me.

I would like to thank every player I was able to coach. You all fought hard to do incredible grassroots work, fought hard for the organization, fought hard for our culture…I’m all for it

— Coach Tanisha Wright (@coachtwright_) October 2, 2024

What do the Sparks, Sky and Dream expect from a new coach?

Here’s something these teams all have in common: lottery picks who are still early in their careers. Howard, who won a bronze medal in women’s 3×3 basketball at the Paris Olympics, has averaged 17 points per game in her three seasons and is just 24 years old.

The Sparks had No. 2 Cameron Brink and No. 4 Rickea Jackson as rookies this season. Brink played in just 15 games before being sidelined for the entire year with a knee injury in June. Jackson played in all 40 games and averaged 13.4 points.

The Sky’s No. 3 pick, Kamilla Cardoso, and No. 7 pick, Angel Reese, combined for just over 23 points and 21 rebounds per game. Reese missed the final six games of the season with a wrist injury, but it looks like they could be a strong duo for years to come.

The WNBA doesn’t give players much structured development time; The schedule is too compact. It is crucial that players work hard on their games in the offseason, and the new coaching staffs on all of these teams need to build a strong bond with the young players to guide them through this process as well.

But it seemed like Wright, Weatherspoon and Miller all had good relationships with their young stars. It’s always hard to know what’s going on behind the scenes of a team. But whoever these teams hire as a coaching replacement may have to overcome some barriers between players and management. — Voepel

We have made the difficult decision to part ways with head coach Tanisha Wright. pic.twitter.com/BkEkdrvWIR

– Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) October 2, 2024

What other WNBA coaching jobs could open up before the 2025 season?

Latricia Trammell led the Dallas Wings to the semifinals last season, but this year they had the second-worst record in the WNBA. Both of Trammell’s predecessors – Vickie Johnson and Brian Agler – were only with the Wings for two years. Trammell will remain in office for the time being.

The same goes for Noelle Quinn. After the Seattle Storm were defeated by Las Vegas in the first round of the playoffs, Quinn suggested they were on “borrowed time” and all players needed to put in a more consistent effort.

Seattle posted a major turnaround this season, going from 11-29 last season to 25-15 – the Storm’s most wins since 26-8 in 2018, when Seattle won the league title. That doesn’t seem to be a reason to fire the coach. Still, signing high-profile free agents like Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, but not winning a playoff game, could push Quinn away from the team after four seasons.

However, with four positions open – Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Golden State – coaches fired now could be rehired in the not-distant future. — Voepel

Which of the four WNBA coaching jobs is the most attractive?

Of these four teams, the Dream have the best chance of being competitive next season. Not only did they make the playoffs this year, but Atlanta was the fifth seed in 2023 and should have Canada and Howard healthy after missing a combined 30 games this season.

With Canada, Howard and Gray, an All-Star, on the court together, the Dream outscored their opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions, according to WNBA Advanced Stats. All three are under contract through 2025 and Atlanta has plenty of space to rebuild the frontcourt and bench around them.

For Chicago and Los Angeles, the answer depends on the draft lottery results. If the Sparks land the No. 1 pick, likely UConn guard Paige Bueckers, it would speed up their rebuilding process. Due to a trade with the Dallas Wings, the Sky cannot select the No. 1 pick, but could add the second pick to promising rookies Cardoso and Reese.

However, if the goal is to win a championship, I would go with the Valkyries expansion. Next season could be a difficult task for Golden State, as the Dec. 6 expansion draft likely won’t add much top talent. By 2026, however, the Valkyries should be well-positioned to compete in a star-studded free agency class like we’ve ever seen before, thanks to an expected increase in the salary cap under a potential new collective bargaining agreement.

With the Warriors’ resources, Golden State will enter the league as one of the WNBA’s best-supported franchises. Add to that an attractive market and fans who have already deposited 18,000 tickets, and the Valkyries have a chance to join the Aces, New York Liberty and Storm as a top free agent destination. — Pelton