Brittney Griner is leaving the Phoenix Mercury after 11 years with the organization, ESPN’s Alexa Philipou first reported late Tuesday night.
Brittney Griner announced her new WNBA team in incredible fashion
The longtime Phoenix Mercury star is joining the Atlanta Dream, and discussed her decision in an Unrivaled social media clip.
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Her destination? The Atlanta Dream. Griner agreed to a one-year deal with the Dream that won’t be made official until Saturday. Her decision to leave Phoenix and head to Atlanta comes just a few hours after it was reported that longtime Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas was headed to Phoenix as part of a massive trade.
(The Sun will receive Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen, and the 2025 No. 12 overall pick from the Mercury, and also send Ty Harris to Phoenix).
Brittney Griner heads to the Atlanta Dream
At 34 years old, Griner is not quite the force she once was — but she’s still one of the WNBA’s elite centers, having averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game last season. Griner is one of the league’s top rim protectors and a formidable presence in the post, who was one of the most highly-regarded free agents on the market.
Griner had been linked to several organizations, including the Las Vegas Aces, but instead lands in Atlanta, who was 15-25 last season. That Dream were riddled with injuries last year, but have a chance at establishing a new core around Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada, and Griner next season. Howard averaged 17.3 points last season, Gray averaged 15.6 points, and Canada averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 assists.
All four players are currently playing in Unrivaled, the new professional 3-on-3 women’s basketball league in Miami, though Griner is not currently teammates with any of her future Dream teammates. The Dream will also have a new head coach next season, longtime FGCU coach Karl Smesko, who will replace Tanisha Wright, who was fired this fall.
At Unrivaled, Griner is a member of the Phantom Club, alongside Natasha Cloud. But, while both were expected to wear Mercury jerseys next seasons, both will now play for brand-new organizations.
Unrivaled helped facilitated Griner’s free agency announcement
Griner first spoke about her decision to join the Dream in a video of her fishing with Howard, Canada, and Gray on her day off in Miami.
“Free agency has been everything I wanted it to be,” Griner said while on a boat with the Dream trio. “I was able to find where I wanted to go, and honestly, what led me to that decision ultimately was the team, the players as individuals, and also my family. I’m thrilled for this chapter.”
Griner acknowledged that the choice to leave Phoenix was a difficult one.
“You’re leaving what you know — what I’ve known for my whole career,” Griner said. “But, there’s also the excited factor of — this is like a rebrand now. I get to show something different.”
