Three potential landing spots for Brittney Griner

For the first time in her career, 10-time All-Star center Brittney Griner is testing the free agent market.

While players cannot sign contracts until Feb. 1, negotiations can begin as of Tuesday. According to Griner’s agent, she is already meeting with multiple teams, per the Associated Press.

Since Griner was drafted No. 1 overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA Draft, she has always re-signed with the franchise.

As Griner explores her options, here are three potential landing spots for the star player.

Connecticut Sun

Since the start of the 2017 season, the Sun have clinched a postseason berth each season and made two WNBA Finals appearances in that stretch.

With three players currently signed to the roster, the Sun have $1,116,264 in cap room, which should make for an active free agency for the franchise.

Connecticut was led by forwards DeWanna Bonner (15 PPG, six RPG), Brionna Jones (13.7 PPG) and Alyssa Thomas (10.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 7.9 APG) and guards Marina Mabrey (14.4 PPG) and DiJonai Carrington (12.7 PPG) last season. 

After losing in five games to the Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals, the Sun have the space available to assemble another title-contending team. A potential drawback for Griner, however, could be the lack of amenities that Thomas has been vocal about. The Sun present a smaller market and hold practices at the Mohegan Community and Government Center, which presents occasional scheduling conflicts.

The Sun seem like a logical landing spot for Griner, assuming they can bring back most of their production from a season ago. With the large amount of cap space and lack of amenities for the small-market team, it should be interesting to see how the franchise handles free agency.

Seattle Storm

The Storm have been a consistent playoff contender in recent years, highlighted by a three-game sweep of the Las Vegas Aces in the 2020 WNBA Finals. The franchise heads into the 2025 season with $712,377 of cap space and the potential loss of six-time All-Star guard and two-time champion Jewel Loyd, who asked for a trade last month. 

Forwards Nneka Ogwumike (16.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG) and Gabby Williams (10.3 PPG) and guards Skylar Diggins-Smith (15.1 PPG, 6.4 APG) and Loyd (19.7 PPG) were major contributors to the team’s success a season ago. With Loyd asking for a trade and Ogwumike an unrestricted free agent, the likelihood of all four of them returning does not seem high.

If the roster can mostly stay intact, Griner could be an excellent addition to a team that lost in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Golden State Valkyries

Similar to the Sun, the WNBA’s newest franchise has a lot of cap space available. In fact, they lead the entire league with $1,201,505, mostly due to the team’s decision not to take on high-end guaranteed contracts in the expansion draft.

While the franchise is entering its first season, there is a lot to like overall. Team owner Joe Lacob said he wants a championship within five years. The decision to hire Natalie Nakase, two-time champion as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces, as the team’s head coach and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin, who helped build the star-studded New York Liberty team as an assistant GM, puts them in an excellent position to start with.

No player currently on the roster averaged more than 7.4 points per game last season, so landing Griner would give them an established veteran and a major boost in offensive production.

The roster is not built to be a serious contender as of now, but if the right pieces fall into place, the team’s location and vision could be enough to be in the mix to land Griner.