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Brittney Griner is close to joining the Connecticut Sun on a seven-figure contract, adding major experience to a young WNBA roster. The 10-time All-Star spent the 2024 season with the Atlanta Dream and is now set for another change following a new league labour landscape.
The 35-year-old forward, drafted No. 1 by Phoenix in 2013, played 11 seasons for the Mercury before moving to Atlanta. Griner was a key part of Phoenix’s 2014 WNBA championship and became one of the league’s most dominant interior players.
This agreement comes in the first offseason under a new WNBA labour deal, which reshaped financial terms across the league. Average salaries have risen nearly four times, and players can now earn more than $1 million a year, over four times the previous
maximum salary.
The Connecticut Sun are scheduled to relocate to Houston in 2027, linking the franchise with Griner’s home city. Griner, who stands 6-foot-9, also led the league in scoring in 2017 and 2019 and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2014 and 2015.
Griner joins a Connecticut side built around recent draft talent and in need of veteran guidance. The Sun lost Marina Mabrey to Toronto in the expansion draft but have added Aaliyah Edwards and invested in young players Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers and Leila Lacan over the past two drafts.
For Atlanta during the 2024 campaign, Griner posted career-low numbers, averaging 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Even so, the Sun expect Griner’s size, defence and experience to complement their developing core and strengthen their frontcourt rotation.
Griner is also a major figure for USA Basketball. Griner helped the United States secure Olympic gold at each of the last three Games, underlining a global profile that adds further attention to Connecticut’s move and the broader WNBA free agency market.
Her career was interrupted in 2022 when Griner missed the WNBA season after being detained in Russia for nearly 10 months. Russian authorities said a search of Griner’s luggage found vape cartridges with cannabis oil; Griner was released in a prisoner swap involving Viktor Bout.
More than 80% of WNBA players are free agents under the new agreement, leading to heavy movement across rosters. Griner’s decision to join the Sun reflects both the new salary structure and the appeal of a franchise linking long-term plans in Houston with a strong young core.
Breaking: Two-time WNBA scoring champion Brittney Griner is finalizing a seven-figure deal to join the Connecticut Sun, sources confirmed to ESPN's @alexaphilippou on Friday.The news of the deal was first reported by Sun sideline reporter Terrika Foster-Brasby. pic.twitter.com/GCoq7fUs8J espnW (@espnW) April 11, 2026
Brittney Griner Connecticut Sun WNBA career snapshot
Key points of Griner’s WNBA record highlight the scale of this move for Connecticut and the league.
Griner’s shift to the Connecticut Sun links elite individual honours, Olympic success and strong domestic experience with a franchise entering a new financial era. The move also aligns a Houston-born star with a team preparing for relocation there in 2027, adding further significance to this free agency decision.
