Aug 17, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) warms up before the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Brittney Griner Makes Her WNBA Free Agency Intentions Clear

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Jan 20, 2026 6:20 PM ET

WNBA veteran Brittney Griner's decision to sign with the Atlanta Dream in free agency last season was one of the more surprising moves that was made.

This is because Griner had spent her entire 11-season WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury at that point, and many within the women's basketball community thought that she would eventually retire there. But Griner clearly wanted a fresh coat of paint on her career, or at least wanted to see whether there were greener pastures available to her.

It's hard to quantify Griner's 2025 campaign with the Dream. On one hand, Atlanta had the best regular season of the franchise's history, as shown by their .682 winning percentage and being the No. 3 seed headed into the WNBA Playoffs.

Then Atlanta was upset by the Indiana Fever in the first round, which very few people expected, especially because the Fever were without Caitlin Clark, who was sidelined with injuries.

One must also mention that Griner had the worst season of her career from a statistical perspective. She had career-low averages in every major stat, and her 9.8 points per game were close to 3 points per game less than her second-lowest season as a rookie. Plus, Griner was coming off the bench for a lot of the season's second half.

Brittney Griner’s Latest Comments Hint at Easy Free Agency Decision

None of this has impacted Griner's desire to remain in Atlanta, despite becoming a free again this offseason. This was made clear by a January 18 interview she did with Sports Illustrated’s Maria Clifton.

When speaking about her 2025 season with the Dream and if she's looking forward to being with Atlanta in 2026, Griner said, "I'm looking forward to it. Everybody on that team, it was just easy. Basketball was the main focus; we showed up, we hooped, and that's all you can ask for.

"And I'm looking forward to being there again. I'm looking forward to just being in the city. The city was amazing. They welcomed me so well, and I had a blast," Griner continued.

Griner's stance makes it sound like there's no question that she'll be back in Atlanta next season, which, given that she's a free agent, is definitely interesting to hear.

It's impossible to know how much she has spoken to the Dream's front office. But Griner is clearly willing to make it known where she wants to be playing for the 2026 WNBA campaign.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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