The Atlanta Dream released Haley Jones on Wednesday to finalize their opening day roster at eleven players. Jones was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft out of Stanford University. She had previously been the top high school prospect in her class and won the 2021 NCAA national championship.
Jones played in Australia during the 2024-2025 offseason and spoke during training camp about her workouts with new Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko. In the interview, Jones described an increased confidence in shooting three-pointers, which is an integral part of Smesko’s offensive philosophy.
Karl Smesko’s long range philosophy
Smesko joined the Atlanta Dream this offseason from Florida Gulf Coast University, where he consistently ranked in the top ten nationally in three-point attempts. When he stepped down in 2024 after accepting the head coaching position with Atlanta, FGCU released a statement capturing Smesko’s approach to three-point shooting:
"The Eagles led the nation in made 3-pointers per game five out of the last seven years. Since 2012, FGCU has led the nation in the category six times and has finished no lower than sixth. FGCU broke the NCAA record for the most threes in a single season, sinking 431 in 2017-18."
In contrast, during the 2024 season, the Atlanta Dream ranked ninth out of the league’s 12 teams in 3-point attempts, tenth in 3-point shots made, and 11 in 3-point shooting percentage. Haley Jones shot exactly 6-28 from three-point range (21 percent) in both 2023 and 2024 for the Dream while playing in all 80 games during that span with over 1,200 minutes played.
Dream roster limits
The Dream do not have the salary cap space to carry the 12 maximum players permitted by the current CBA due to the maximum contracts signed by free agents Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner. The Dream had already released 2025 first-round pick Shyanne Sellers, who they claimed off waivers after Sellers was cut by the expansion Golden State Valkyries before Sellers played in a single preseason game.
Enter Te-Hina Paopao
The cuts of Sellers and Jones solidified a roster spot for second-round pick Te-Hina Paopao of the University of South Carolina. Paopao led the nation in 3-point shooting percentage during the 2023-2024 season and shot 40 percent from 3-point range over her five-year college career with Oregon and South Carolina.
Many predicted that Paopao would be drafted in the first round of the WNBA draft, but she fell to the Dream with the 18th pick and fits neatly into Smesko’s system. Unfortunately for Haley Jones, Paopao’s excellent preseason performance and comfort shooting from long range may have cost Jones a roster spot in the WNBA for the 2025 season.