Brittney Griner Has Major Decision Coming After Dream's Loss to Fever

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner is now a WNBA free agent.

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) waits to enter a game against the Indiana Fever in the first quarter during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

For center Brittney Griner, Thursday's 87-85 loss to the Indiana Fever may have been the last time she suited up in an Atlanta Dream uniform.

Griner joined the Dream this past offseason after 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, signing a one-year $214,466 contract to change scenery. She left Phoenix due to uncertainty about what her future would be with the team after a meeting with the team that informed her they would be changing directions, prompting her to look elsewhere.

New York Liberty guard Rebekah Gardner (7) protects the ball against Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) during the third quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

At the time, joining Atlanta felt like the right move to Griner. The environment and the belief the team showed in her made her "younger," she said.

"This is the best thing I could have ever did in my life," Griner said (via Meghan L. Hall of For the Win). "I feel younger here, honestly. I was starting to feel a little old. But I'm feeling young. They're believing in me, and I mean, that's all you can ask for. Right? When you get this many years underneath your belt, and people are still believing in you ― and telling you [that] you can do it ― it just feels good."

As the season went on, it's possible that sentiment could have changed. Griner was out for three games due to a neck injury back in August, and when she returned, she went from a full-time starter to a bench player with a minutes restriction. Griner had started every single game of her WNBA career prior to the move, but never again found her way back to the starting five in 2025.

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) dribbles against Minnesota Lynx forward Maria Kliundikova (77) during the first half at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

“She’s one of the all-time greatest players in the history of the WNBA, and for her to be willing to come off the bench and contribute in this way, I think she knows it’s because we’re trying to make a championship push," head coach Karl Smesko said of Griner (via Paolo Songco of Athlon Sports). She knows she’s a big part of that. She knows what she can do coming into these situations.”

What's next for Griner?

Griner is at a crossroads now. She is a free agent once again now that the season is through, with a whole league of choices ahead of her. She could choose comfort and familiarity with the Dream, though it's possible 2025 repeats itself and she remains on the bench, or test her luck on the open market and see herself as a starter again elsewhere.

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10), guard Allisha Gray (15), and forward Brionna Jones (24), forward Naz Hillmon (00), center Brittney Griner (42), and guard Maya Caldwell (33) laugh on the bench during the final minutes against the Golden State Valkyries in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Still, it's not a given that Griner would be a starter somewhere else. She had career lows in both minutes and every single major stat in 2025, and her age and injury history could cause some reservations for any team considering her as a starter.

This offseason will be a massive one for the Dream as a whole. Nine players, including Griner, are free agents in the upcoming offseason, including major players such as Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones, and Allisha Gray.

The Dream had a franchise-best season that ended in a devastating Round 1 elimination, and while there appears to be a lot of faith in Smesko as a head coach, there's no guaranteeing how many of Atlanta's stars will choose to stay.

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