Big moves in WNBA free agency have been the norm the past few years, but Tuesday delivered a huge one for 2025: Center Brittney Griner, the 2013 No. 1 pick who has spent her 11-season WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury, is headed to the Atlanta Dream.

A two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Griner has averaged 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots in her career. The former Baylor star is one of the best true centers in WNBA history, leading the league in blocks eight times. With 812 blocks, Griner trails only the late Margo Dydek (877) and Lisa Leslie (822) in career blocks.

Griner, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, has been synonymous with the Mercury and a big part of the Phoenix community. Along with Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor, who were on all three Mercury championship teams, Griner has been one of the Mercury's most beloved signature players.

Now, with Griner gone and the reported addition of forward Alyssa Thomas, and the 42-year-old Taurasi's status for this coming season uncertain as she contemplates retirement, the Mercury will have a new look. We examine how Griner will mesh with the Dream, what she meant to the Mercury and how they will adjust without her.

How does Griner fit with the Atlanta Dream roster?

During a long career at Florida Gulf Coast, new Dream coach Karl Smesko was known for playing a smaller-sized lineup that shot a lot of 3-pointers. This is his first foray into the WNBA, so we don't know how he will alter his system with pro talent. But surrounding a center of Griner's ability with shooters sounds like a good idea.

The Dream went 15-25 last season under coach Tanisha Wright and were the last team to make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. They lost in the first round to eventual champion New York. That wasn't enough to save Wright's job; she was fired after three seasons in Atlanta.

Atlanta entered the league as an expansion team in 2008 and got No. 1 pick Angel McCoughtry in 2009. The Dream have reached the WNBA Finals three times -- 2010, 2011, 2013 -- but have never won a Finals game. Seattle swept them in 2010, and Minnesota did it twice.

The Dream have made the playoffs twice in the past six seasons, in 2023 and 2024. But Atlanta has a solid nucleus with a young star like 2022 No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard, who led Atlanta in scoring last season at 17.3 PPG, versatile guard Allisha Gray (15.6 PPG) and point guard Jordin Canada, whose past two seasons have been the best statistically of her WNBA career.

Griner, who turned 34 in October, has played extensively overseas and with USA Basketball, so adjusting to a new system shouldn't be difficult for her. It will be interesting to see how Atlanta completes the team around her. -- Voepel

What does signing Griner mean for the Dream?

This is the biggest signing Atlanta has ever made in free agency. The Dream signed Tina Charles last year, paving the way for her to become the WNBA's all-time leading rebounder and move to No. 2 on the all-time scoring list. The Dream also added Canada via sign-and-trade. But Griner is a legend who was still in demand from multiple teams. Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Aces also considered Griner.

Setting aside the basketball element, adding Griner elevates the Dream's standing in the Atlanta sports world, even if it can only do so much financially. The Dream announced last week they've sold out their allotment of season tickets for the 2025 season, the second consecutive year they've sold out playing at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena at College Park.

Last year, Atlanta played both games against the Indiana Fever at the much larger State Farm Arena, the Dream's home from 2008 through 2016. With Griner on board, Atlanta might feel more comfortable moving additional games this season and could consider a larger venue in the future if she sticks around. -- Pelton

Breaking: 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream, sources tell me and @ShamsCharania

Griner spent her entire career with Phoenix and now heads to Atlanta in one of the most stunning free agency moves in league history pic.twitter.com/bPpqIEx7bw

Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 29, 2025

What is Griner's legacy with the Mercury?

The Mercury won their most recent WNBA title in 2014, Griner's second season in the league, and made their last trip to the WNBA Finals in 2021, when she led Phoenix in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage. In February 2022, Griner was imprisoned in Russia after playing there in the offseason and missed the 2022 WNBA season.

Griner was released in a prisoner exchange in December 2022. Her return to action on Phoenix's homecourt in May 2023 -- two days after Griner and the Mercury had opened the season in front of a large, supportive crowd in Los Angeles -- was one of the most emotional games in league history. Griner said many times in her career, including after her return from her detainment, that Phoenix was home, and she couldn't imagine playing anywhere else.

But in pro sports, never say never. The Mercury crashed in 2023, going 9-31 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Last season, they improved to 19-21 under new coach Nate Tibbetts, losing in the first round of the playoffs. Phoenix has had a reset with Tibbetts and general manager (Nick U'Ren) Griner's departure is another step.

Her legacy, though, is set in Phoenix as a player who lived up to her potential, was consistently one of the WNBA's star players and was a fan favorite. No matter what Griner went through in her life and career, the "X-Factor" Mercury fans stuck with her. They will miss Griner and vice versa. -- Voepel

How will Phoenix be impacted by Griner's exit and the addition of Thomas?

Griner and the Mercury had been preparing to go in different directions. Cap space is at a premium given Phoenix's ambition to add Thomas and Satou Sabally, plus potentially DeWanna Bonner. (ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported Tuesday that the Mercury are one of two finalists for Bonner, an unrestricted free agent and Thomas' fiancée.)

Additionally, the on-court fit between Thomas and Griner could have been tricky. Though Thomas played with a non-shooting center in Connecticut (Brionna Jones), the result was an offense that ranked 11th of 12 WNBA teams in 3-point attempts and had relatively little space in which to operate. That's not the style Tibbetts prefers to play.

Based on those circumstances, the Mercury were surely comfortable letting Griner explore free agency and find a better fit. At this point in their respective careers, Thomas is more effective on the court. She was the runner-up in MVP voting in 2023 and was an All-WNBA first-team pick last season.

If Phoenix can land Sabally via a sign-and-trade, the Mercury will position themselves as offseason winners despite the loss of Griner. If Thomas is likely the best player who will change teams this offseason, Sabally -- two years removed from joining Thomas on the All-WNBA first-team -- might end up second on that list.

Still, Phoenix will surely be overjoyed if any of this offseason's newcomers approach the impact Griner made in the Valley. -- Pelton