Brittney Griner, who has played for only the Phoenix Mercury in her WNBA career, reportedly is joining a new team.
The 34-year-old center agreed to a one-year free agent deal with the Atlanta Dream, ESPN reported on Tuesday.
The news broke on the same day as reports that the Mercury were acquiring forward Alyssa Thomas and guard Tyasha Harris in a trade that would send guards Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen plus a first-round draft pick to the Connecticut Sun.
Griner’s move cannot occur officially until Saturday, the first date for free agent transactions to be finalized.
According to ESPN, the Las Vegas Aces also were in play as a possible destination for Griner before she went to Atlanta.
Griner is a nine-time All-Star, a six-time All-WNBA selection and a two-time league Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9 Baylor alumna helped lead Phoenix to the WNBA championship in 2014.
She also was part of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic basketball teams in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and she was part of Baylor’s 2012 NCAA championship team.
Griner missed the 2022 WNBA season when she was jailed in Russia for almost 10 months on drug charges. She admitted last May that she contemplated suicide during her detention, which ended when the U.S. and Russian governments completed a prisoner swap involving Griner and a convicted Russian arms dealer.
In 30 games last season, Griner averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 blocked shots. For her career, she has averaged 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.6 blocks.
The Dream went 15-25 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual champion New York Liberty. The Mercury finished 19-21 last year and fell in the opening round of the postseason to the eventual runner-up Minnesota Lynx.
–Field Level Media
