Angel Reese just bagged the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award for 2026, pulling in 46 of 74 possible votes, and that DPOY nod just rocketed her contract status into the stratosphere. On top of her Atlanta Dream team barreling through the WNBA semifinals leading the New York Liberty, Reese is about to get paid, big time.
EPIC Move for an EPIC Player
This isn’t just about a DPOY award, though that’s huge for any player. What’s truly wild is that by winning one of the WNBA’s major individual awards while still on her rookie-scale contract, Reese has now earned eligibility for a max contract extension. We’re talking about the newly-introduced EPIC clause here, which stands for Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract. The league slipped this into the new CBA this year, and it’s designed to fast-track max salaries for the league’s absolute top young talents. To qualify, a rookie contract player needs to hit an All-WNBA team or snag a major personal award, and Reese absolutely crushed it with her DPOY win. This means she’s got the power to negotiate a much higher salary when her fourth WNBA season rolls around.
From $350K to Millionaire Status
Let’s talk numbers, because these are jaw-dropping. Reese’s salary for 2026 is just north of $350,000. Under this new EPIC eligibility, she’s likely to quadruple that salary on her next deal. Think about that: a rookie-scale player going from a very good salary to a max contract, basically overnight, all because she performed at an elite level. Yeah, this new contract is going to eat into the Dream’s spending power, no doubt. But honestly, Atlanta won’t even bat an eye. Securing Reese’s long-term future is absolutely priceless for that franchise. You gotta do it!
Dreaming Big: New Home, New Era
And speaking of the franchise, they’re making some huge moves too. The Dream just announced a multi-year deal with State Farm Arena. This 17,044-seat venue is going to be their new permanent home for all home games starting in the 2027 season. Talk about an upgrade! They’re moving from the WNBA’s smallest venue, Gateway Center Arena, which only seats 3,500. Going from a cozy spot to a full-blown NBA arena that they’ll share with the Atlanta Hawks? That’s a massive jump in visibility and fan experience. What’s even crazier is that the Dream trading for Reese back in April was one of the key factors that made this whole arena move even possible. It’s like everything is perfectly aligning for this team.
So, the Dream is in the WNBA semifinals, leading the New York Liberty, with a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead on Wednesday night. They’re making big moves off the court with the new arena, all thanks in part to their DPOY phenom. By the time they officially settle into State Farm Arena, who knows? Atlanta could be celebrating a WNBA championship, because as they say, flags fly forever.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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