The WNBA offseason has been awfully busy, as we’ve seen big names like Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, and Kelsey Plum change teams via trades. On Tuesday night, one of the biggest dominoes on the free agent market fell, as 10-time All-Star selection Brittney Griner made the decision to leave the Phoenix Mercury.
According to Alexa Philippou and Shams Charania of ESPN, Griner will join the Atlanta Dream, although the move cannot become official until Saturday. The Dream are coming off of a 15-25 campaign in which they made the playoffs — it was the first time the team made the postseason in back-to-back years since 2014 — and are built around the formidable backcourt duo of Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. Griner’s services were unsurprisingly in high demand, as ESPN reported that the Las Vegas Aces had serious interest in bringing her on board to form an indomitable 1-2 punch in the frontcourt alongside A’ja Wilson prior to their trade for Loyd, which forced them to evaluate “their style of play moving forward.”
One of the most decorated players in WNBA history, Griner is a six-time All-WNBA selection and has made the All-Star team in each of the last two seasons — she did not play in the league in 2022 following her high-profile detainment in Russia. Last year, Griner averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 28.7 minutes per game while shooting 57.9 percent from the field.