According to sources who spoke to ESPN on Tuesday, 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has signed to a one-year contract with the Atlanta Dream after playing with the Phoenix Mercury for 11 seasons.
Griner, who was selected first overall in the 2013 draft and played her entire career in Phoenix, is making one of the league’s most spectacular free agency moves to Atlanta.
Griner shared a video on Instagram Tuesday, Jan. 28, announcing the relocation. Contracts can be signed on Saturday, Feb. 1, which is when the signing can become official.
“You know it was a hard decision,” Griner said, “you’re leaving what you know, what I’ve known for my whole career. But there’s also the exciting factor of like “OK, this is a rebrand now, I get to show them something different.’ ”
The Mercury could be without Diana Taurasi for the first time in 20 years if she decides to retire, but Griner‘s departure ushers in a new era for the team. Griner and Taurasi secured the franchise’s third and most recent championship in 2014.
The 6-foot-9 center was unfairly jailed in Russia for about 10 months, which caused her to miss the 2022 campaign. After being released in a well-publicized prisoner exchange, she was able to resume her All-Star status in 2023 and 2024.
The largest free-agent signing in Atlanta’s history, Griner is a six-time All-WNBA pick. She joins a team that also features Allisha Gray, for whom Atlanta traded in 2023, and Rhyne Howard, who was selected first overall by the Dream in 2022. This offseason, the team fired former coach Tanisha Wright and brought in Karl Smesko from Florida Gulf Coast University to take over as head coach.
According to sources who spoke to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Las Vegas Aces reportedly considered signing Griner as part of their ongoing search for a big player to complement A’ja Wilson. However, after the Aces acquired former Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd in a three-team trade, it became clear they would put their free agency attention elsewhere.
