Brittney Griner is taking her talents to Connecticut — and the timing, the context, and the franchise's imminent future all make this move far more layered than a standard veteran free agency signing. According to Bleacher Report and ESPN's Alexa Philippou, Griner has agreed to a seven-figure deal with the Connecticut Sun, capping a one-season stay with the Atlanta Dream and beginning what could be one of the most meaningful chapters of her career.
She's 35 years old, entering her 13th WNBA season, and still commanding top dollar. But the most striking detail isn't the contract — it's where the Sun are headed. Connecticut is set to relocate to Houston in 2027, and Griner was born and raised in Houston. This isn't just a roster move. It's a homecoming in slow motion.
The Deal: What We Know
Multiple sources confirm that Griner is finalizing a seven-figure contract with the Connecticut Sun, making it one of the most significant veteran free agent signings of the 2026 WNBA offseason. The deal was first reported on April 10, 2026, with details quickly confirmed across major outlets.
Seven figures in the WNBA is not a trivial number. The league's salary structure has historically lagged far behind its NBA counterpart, but recent collective bargaining progress and rising franchise valuations have begun pushing top-tier salaries into territory that reflects the players' actual market value. For Griner — a nine-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and one of the most recognizable names in women's basketball — a seven-figure deal is both warranted and symbolic of where the league is heading.
TSN reports the deal is in its final stages, suggesting an official announcement is imminent.
One Season in Atlanta: The Dream Chapter
Griner's time with the Atlanta Dream was a study in adaptation — and in the complicated reality of veteran players finding their footing on new teams after years of franchise loyalty. She spent 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, won a championship there in 2014, and became synonymous with that franchise. Leaving was never going to be clean.
In 39 appearances with Atlanta during the 2025 season, Griner averaged 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. Those numbers are serviceable but understated — her impact on spacing, defensive presence, and the psychological weight she carries for opponents doesn't show up cleanly in a box score. The Dream, for their part, had an exceptional year: their best record in franchise history at 30-14. The team was genuinely good.
But something didn't fully click. As Yahoo Sports notes, Griner's playing time declined noticeably as the season wore on — from 25.7 minutes per game through May to just 15.8 minutes in September. That kind of reduction isn't just about load management for a veteran. It signals a shift in the coaching staff's calculus, a rotation that was being shaped around younger contributors, or both. When the Dream were upset by the Indiana Fever in the first round of the playoffs, it ended what had been a promising season on a sour note — and likely accelerated Griner's decision to explore a fresh start.
Connecticut's Roster Situation and What Griner Fills
The Sun enter this offseason with a fascinating roster composition problem: they're young, they're talented, and they just lost a key veteran voice. Marina Mabrey, who provided experience and shot creation, departed for the Toronto Tempo, leaving a gap that goes beyond pure statistics. Young teams need anchors — players who've been through playoff pressure, who've experienced the difference between regular season dominance and winning when everything matters.
Connecticut's current core skews decidedly under-25. Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, Aaliyah Edwards, Leila Lacan, and newly acquired Diamond Miller represent an exciting but inexperienced group. These are players with serious upside, but upside isn't a locker room presence. It isn't a center who's won a championship, survived a Russian detention, returned to professional basketball, and kept competing at a high level into her mid-30s.
That's what Griner brings that doesn't fit neatly into a stat line: she has seen everything. Her signing gives Connecticut a veteran pillar around which to build, someone whose experience and demeanor can shape how the younger players approach big moments.
Her 6-foot-9 frame also gives Connecticut something they've lacked — a true post presence who can alter shots, create opportunities near the basket, and demand double-teams that open up opportunities for the perimeter players around her. That's a legitimate tactical upgrade, not just a name-recognition acquisition.
The Houston Angle: Why This Move Carries Extra Weight
The Connecticut Sun are leaving Connecticut. The franchise was sold to the Fertitta family and is set to relocate to Houston in 2027 — a market that has been hungry for WNBA basketball and that carries enormous symbolic significance for Griner specifically.
She grew up in Houston. She played high school basketball at Nimitz High School in the Houston area. When she was wrongfully detained in Russia in 2022 and the entire country watched as diplomatic negotiations played out over months, Houston was part of her story — her roots, her people, the place that shaped who she is. That she would now be part of the franchise that becomes Houston's WNBA team is not an accident of geography. It feels, in a word, right.
If Griner performs well in Connecticut over the next season and the relocation proceeds as planned, she could become the face of Houston's WNBA franchise — a returning hero bringing elite-level experience to a market that will be building its identity from scratch. That narrative writes itself, and it's powerful enough to transcend basketball.
Griner's Career: Context for a Living Legend
It's worth pausing to appreciate what Brittney Griner's career arc actually looks like, because it's genuinely unlike any other in the sport's history.
She was the first overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft. She won Defensive Player of the Year in both 2014 and 2015. She won a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014. She became a nine-time (some outlets count ten) WNBA All-Star. She spent 11 seasons in Phoenix, becoming one of the most dominant interior players the league has ever seen.
Then came 2022 — a year that had nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with geopolitics, human rights, and the resilience of a person thrust into an impossible situation. Griner was wrongfully detained in Russia while traveling for her overseas basketball commitment, a common arrangement for WNBA players who play abroad during the American offseason to supplement income. She was held for nearly ten months before being released in a prisoner exchange. She missed the entire 2022 WNBA season.
Her return in 2023 was remarkable not just for happening, but for the quality of play she brought back. She wasn't diminished. She was still Brittney Griner — altered by experience, certainly, but intact as a competitor. The fact that she's now entering her 13th WNBA season at age 35, signing a seven-figure deal and joining a franchise with championship aspirations, is a testament to extraordinary durability and drive.
What This Means for the WNBA Landscape
Griner's signing matters beyond Connecticut. It's a data point in a broader trend of veteran players commanding real money and having real options in free agency — a sign that the WNBA's economic foundation has strengthened enough to keep elite players in the league rather than forcing them entirely overseas to make a living wage.
It also raises interesting questions about the Dream's direction. Atlanta had the best record in franchise history last season but couldn't advance past the first round. Griner's departure suggests the organization may be pivoting toward a younger, faster roster construction — or that the fit simply wasn't right and both sides recognized it. The Dream showed they can win regular season games; the question now is whether they can build a team that converts that into playoff success without one of the game's most recognizable veterans.
For Connecticut — soon to be Houston — the move signals ambition. This isn't a rebuild. This is a team trying to compete now while simultaneously building for the long-term, using the star power and experience of Griner to accelerate the development of its young core.
The WNBA continues to expand its footprint, attract new ownership, and generate the kind of cultural momentum that makes moves like this feel significant beyond the sport itself. If you've been following the broader sports landscape this spring, the energy around women's basketball is undeniable.
Analysis: Why This Move Could Define Griner's Legacy
The easy narrative is that Griner is winding down, taking a comfortable role with a young team, collecting a paycheck. That reading underestimates her and misses the point entirely.
Griner at 35 is still a difference-maker. Her defensive profile alone — the shot-blocking, the altered attempts, the way she forces opponents to change their approach before they even get to the rim — has value that doesn't evaporate with age the way explosiveness does. She can still score efficiently in the post and as a pick-and-roll finisher. She's not the same player she was at 28, but she doesn't need to be. She needs to be the right player for a team that needs exactly what she offers.
Connecticut needs her. Houston, in 2027, will need her even more — as a player, as a symbol, as a bridge between what the franchise was and what it's becoming. If the relocation goes smoothly and the team is competitive, Griner could become the most important figure in Houston WNBA history before she ever plays a game there under that banner.
That's a legacy worth chasing. And based on everything she's already been through, chasing it seems very much in character.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Brittney Griner leave the Atlanta Dream?
Griner spent one season with the Atlanta Dream in 2025, averaging 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 39 appearances. While the Dream had a record-breaking 30-14 regular season, Griner's playing time declined significantly as the year progressed — from nearly 26 minutes per game in May to under 16 minutes in September. The team was upset in the first round of the playoffs, and Griner has now agreed to a seven-figure deal with Connecticut, suggesting the fit in Atlanta simply didn't develop as either side had hoped.
How much is Brittney Griner's contract with the Connecticut Sun?
Griner is finalizing a seven-figure deal with the Connecticut Sun, per Bleacher Report and confirmed by multiple sources including ESPN. The exact dollar figure has not been publicly disclosed, but seven figures represents one of the more substantial contracts in WNBA free agency this offseason.
Are the Connecticut Sun moving to Houston?
Yes. The Connecticut Sun were sold to the Fertitta family and are set to relocate to Houston in 2027. This makes Griner's signing particularly poignant — she was born and raised in Houston and would become a foundational figure for what will become the city's WNBA franchise.
How many All-Star selections does Brittney Griner have?
Griner is a nine-time WNBA All-Star, with some sources including Bleacher Report citing ten selections. She is also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year (2014, 2015) and a WNBA champion with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014.
When did Brittney Griner return from Russia?
Griner was wrongfully detained in Russia beginning in early 2022 and was released in a prisoner exchange in December 2022, missing the entire 2022 WNBA season. She returned to WNBA competition in 2023 with the Phoenix Mercury, completing what was widely celebrated as one of sport's most meaningful comebacks.
The Bottom Line
Brittney Griner joining the Connecticut Sun is a move that rewards closer examination. On the surface, it's a veteran signing — a big name changing teams in free agency, the kind of transaction that gets a news cycle and then fades. Look closer and you find a player positioning herself to be part of a franchise's founding story in her hometown, a young roster getting the veteran presence it desperately needed, and a league continuing to prove it can retain its best players at market-reflective salaries.
Thirteen seasons in. A championship. A wrongful detention. A comeback. A new team, and soon, a return home. Brittney Griner's story remains one of the most compelling in American sports — and it's clearly not finished yet.
