Atlanta Dream gets No. 3 pick in 2022 WNBA draft

ajc.com

Credit: Kelsey Bibik/Atlanta Dream

Credit: Kelsey Bibik/Atlanta Dream

The Atlanta Dream entered Sunday’s WNBA draft lottery with the second-best odds of securing the top pick in the 2022 draft.

But Atlanta will have to settle for the third overall pick next April.

Indiana, Atlanta, Washington and Dallas participated in the draft lottery, and odds were based on the cumulative records of the two most recent regular seasons (2020 and 2021). Indiana and Atlanta had the best odds as the teams with the two worst records over the wo seasons, but Washington was awarded the top pick through the lottery drawing.

Indiana will pick second followed by Atlanta at No. 3 and Dallas at No. 4. Atlanta had the third overall pick in the 2020 draft, selecting guard Aari McDonald from Arizona.

Atlanta will open the 2022 season on the road against Dallas Wings May 7 and will play its first home game May 11 against Los Angeles at the Gateway Center Arena. The opening week at home will also include new head coach Tanisha Wright’s first meeting against her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, on May 13.

“I think this schedule provides a good opportunity for us to be really competitive in the league this year,” Wright said in a statement. “Our schedule is really balanced between multi-game homestands and long road trips. We will use those road trips to build character before we’re deep into our schedule. The competition against this caliber of teams will really help us build as a young team.”

The 2022 WNBA schedule will see each team play 36 games – 18 at home and 18 on the road – the most in the league’s 25-year history. The Dream will play three games against Western Conference opponents Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Phoenix and Seattle, three games against Chicago and Connecticut, and four games against remaining Eastern Conference opponents Indiana, New York and Washington.

2022 ATLANTA DREAM SCHEDULE

May 7 at Dallas Wings 8 p.m.

May 11 Los Angeles Sparks 7 p.m.

May 13 Las Vegas Aces 7:30 p.m.

May 15 at Indiana Fever 3 p.m.

May 17 at Indiana Fever 7 p.m.

May 20 Washington Mystics 7:30 p.m.

May 24 at Washington Mystics 7 p.m.

May 29 Phoenix Mercury 3 p.m.

June 1 Minnesota Lynx 7 p.m.

June 3 Chicago Sky 7:30 p.m.

June 5 Indiana Fever 3 p.m.

June 7 at Seattle Storm 10 p.m.

June 10 at Phoenix Mercury 10 p.m.

June 15 at Connecticut Sun 7 p.m.

June 17 at Chicago Sky 8 p.m.

June 21 Dallas Wings 7 p.m.

June 24 New York Liberty 7:30 p.m.

June 26 Connecticut Sun 3 p.m.

June 28 at Washington Mystics 7 p.m.

June 30 at New York Liberty 7 p.m.

July 3 Seattle Storm 3 p.m.

July 6 Washington Mystics 7 p.m.

July 12 at Chicago Sky 8 p.m.

July 15 Connecticut Sun 7:30 p.m.

July 17 at Phoenix Mercury 6 p.m.

July 19 at Las Vegas Aces 10 p.m.

July 21 at Los Angeles Sparks 3 p.m.

July 24 at Seattle Storm 6 p.m.

July 28 Minnesota Lynx 7 p.m.

July 30 Dallas Wings 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 3 Indiana Fever 7 p.m.

Aug. 5 Los Angeles Sparks 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 7 at Minnesota Lynx 7 p.m.

Aug. 9 at Las Vegas Aces 10 p.m.

Aug. 12 New York Liberty 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 14 at New York Liberty 2 p.m.

Home game in bold