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Another league-shaking move has shifted the WNBA landscape.
On Tuesday night, Brittney Griner announced that she will be joining the Atlanta Dream, sharing her new destination in an Instagram video of a deep sea fishing trip with new teammates Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada, all of whom are participating in Unrivaled in Miami.
Griner, an unrestricted free agent who departs the Phoenix Mercury after 11 seasons, said in her video:
So, free agency has been everything I wanted it to be. 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 then also my family.
You know it was a hard decision, 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.
Breaking: 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream, sources tell me and @ShamsCharania
Griner spent her entire career with Phoenix and now heads to Atlanta in one of the most stunning free agency moves in league history pic.twitter.com/bPpqIEx7bw
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 29, 2025
The Mercury’s impending acquisition of Alyssa Thomas signaled the likely end of Griner’s time in Phoenix. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Las Vegas Aces considered pursuing Griner; instead, she lands in Atlanta, becoming the highest-profile free agent signing in Dream history. As is expected of most 2025 free agents, Griner will sign a one-year deal with Atlanta after the league signing window opens on Feb. 1.
In addition to Griner, the Dream reportedly will sign former Washington Mystic Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, per reporting from The Washington Post’s Kareem Copeland. The additions suggest an intention to surround Atlanta’s returning core of Howard, Gray and Canada with size and shooting under new head coach Karl Smesko.
