ATLANTA (AP) — New Atlanta Dream star Brittney Griner says her one-year deal was based on more than just positioning herself for a bigger deal when the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement is expected to take effect in one year.
Griner’s 11-year stay with the Phoenix Mercury ended when she agreed to sign with Atlanta in a deal that became official on Saturday.
Griner joins another free-agent addition, three-time All-Star Brionna Jones, in Atlanta’s frontcourt. Griner, a 10-time All-Star, signed with Atlanta after testing free agency for the first time. The Dream may face pressure to take advantage of what may be seen as a one-year opportunity with its new roster.
“I’ll just say this with the CBA, you know, a lot of people signed one-year deals,” Griner said Tuesday at her introduction with the Dream. “It’s more than just money. I don’t want people to think that everybody signed a one-year deal just because they’re money crazy. There’s a lot of other important things that are going to be in our CBA in that, you know, people are going to want to be eligible for.
“I’ll just say this, my track record is when I make a decision I stick with it. I’ll just leave it at that right there.”
The Dream finished 15-25 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta has not won a playoff game since making the conference finals in 2018.
The addition of Griner, a 10-time All-Star and the most notable free-agent signee in franchise history, immediately generates higher expectations for the new season.
Griner averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season with Phoenix. She’s third on the WNBA’s career blocks list, 65 behind leader Margo Dydek.
Another new face on Atlanta’s roster, shooting guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, joined Griner and Jones at Tuesday’s news conference.
The Dream’s returning foundation includes Jordin Canada, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.
The immediate challenge for Dream general manager Dan Padover will be convincing Griner and the other new players to remain in Atlanta for more than one season.
“That starts tomorrow,” Padover said. “But that’s our job. Our job is day in, day out to show these players why not only they should come here but why they should stay here. And I’ve always said the most important thing is to recruit your own players. So throughout this year, we’re always recruiting our own players, making sure they feel love, making sure they know how important they are to us so that they never want to leave and want to be a part of this city.”
Atlanta first-year coach Karl Smesko will be expected to produce an immediate winner. He didn’t shy away from the pressure to win when seated next to his new stars on Tuesday.
“We made it clear we want to compete for a championship,” Smesko said. “We wanted to bring in people who were talented and I think we’re well on the way. … It has the makings for a very special team and that is the expectation.”
Griner missed the 2022 season when she was detained for nearly 10 months in Russia after authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. She was freed in a prisoner swap when the United States released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
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