It seems weird to say this, but Brittney Griner's WNBA career is nearing its conclusion. The nine-time All-Star is on her third team in three seasons and while some expect her to re-sign with Connecticut once they move to Houston, giving her a chance to play in her hometown, there's also a chance she opts to chase a ring to close out her storied career.
Houston isn't set up to provide her with that opportunity, but these three teams might be, and they all have reason to show interest in the veteran center.
Las Vegas Aces
The Las Vegas Aces have a frontcourt problem right now with NaLyssa Smith injured. Smith is out for the rest of the season with what is still being described as a non-contact left leg injury, so it's not really clear at this point if the Aces should expect to have her healthy for the start of the 2027 season or not.
But even if Smith is ready to go, the Aces could still use another functional body in the frontcourt, and Griner is easily the best option there. While her fit with A'ja Wilson might be a little funky, being able to bring Griner in when Wilson sits would give the Aces a new way of generating offense on the interior.
And the fit with Wilson could work out anyway if Smith misses time and the team is forced to start the two together. Wilson has really worked on her shooting touch from deep this year, so being able to stretch her out to the line to open up space for Griner inside would add another wrinkle to this offense. Defensively, having both her and Wilson would essentally mean teams can't even try to threaten the rim, because you'd have two elite shot blockers up there.
Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings have some things that are clearly working, but rim protection has been the biggest thorn in the team's side. The team is ninth in the league in block rate, and opponents are shooting 65.2 percent in the restricted area, the third-highest percentage allowed by any team in the WNBA.
The problem is that Alanna Smith just hasn't played like the Alanna Smith that the Wings thought they were signing this offseason. Awak Kuier has stepped up, but the center position has been a revolving door, which is especially problematic when you consider that the other big spot is taken by Jessica Shepard, a skilled playmaker who also happens to be a non-factor when it comes to rim protection.
Adding Griner — even if they do so with the goal of using her off the bench with either Kuier or Smith starting at the five — gives the team an additional source of rim protection, as well as a player who can score inside to take some of the pressure off of the team's guards.
Golden State Valkyries
No team faces a stranger offseason than the Golden State Valkyries, in large part because they're the only team that doesn't really know what they need this offseason. If the team gets to the pinnacle of the sport and wins a title without a go-to outside scorer, it might decide to just keep going with its current approach of building up one of the league's all-time great defenses.
Could that mean that rather than spending money on a player like Kelsey Plum this offseason, the team could look to bring in a center who can score more efficiently than Kiah Stokes while still providing rim protection?
Griner fits that bill. She might not be a very versatile defender, but she can still deter drives and post-ups at the basket. She'd also provide a team that sometimes lacks consistent offense with some kind of help. She's not as efficient as she once was, but she's still averaging 13.2 points per game this season, making her far more intriguing as Golden State's center than Stokes, who is averaging 3.6 points per game.
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