Nicked by expansion draft, team faces critical offseason with championship window in focus
The Minnesota Lynx find themselves at a pivotal crossroads entering the 2026 WNBA season, tasked with reconstructing a roster capable of delivering a championship to a franchise that came agonizingly close in recent years. With a thinned lineup, a recovering superstar, and a free agency period unlike any the league has seen before, head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve faces her most complex roster puzzle in years.
Collier anchors team’s shot at first title since 2017
The foundation of everything the Lynx do this offseason runs through Napheesa Collier. Minnesota, which last won the WNBA championship in 2017, extended a core qualifying offer to the 29-year-old forward, locking in exclusive negotiating rights and tethering its championship aspirations to her health and performance. The designation comes with a fully guaranteed supermax value of $1.4 million under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, a figure the organization appears willing to commit without hesitation.
The decision carries weight beyond finances. Collier is recovering from two ankle surgeries sustained during a 2025 season that had positioned her as a frontrunner for the league’s Most Valuable Player award before injuries derailed both her campaign and the team’s playoff run. Minnesota fell to the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinals, ending a season that had generated genuine championship expectations. The Lynx reached the WNBA Finals in 2024, losing in five games to the New York Liberty, making consecutive postseason exits without a title all the more difficult to absorb.
Expansion draft delivers a double blow
Before free agency negotiations could even begin in earnest, the Lynx absorbed significant losses through the April 3 expansion draft. The Portland Fire, returning professional women’s basketball to the city for the first time in 24 years, used the first overall selection to claim forward Bridget Carleton. The Ontario native spent the majority of her seven-year career in Minnesota after being drafted by the Lynx in 2019, contributing 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in 27.9 minutes as a reserve last season. Her floor spacing and two-way versatility in the starting rotation will be difficult to replace.
The Toronto Tempo compounded Minnesota’s losses in the second round, selecting forward Maria Kliundikova, who had established herself as an efficient and reliable rotation piece after joining the Lynx mid-season in 2025. Across 34 appearances, Kliundikova shot 50% from the field while averaging 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11 minutes per game, suggesting a larger role was forthcoming.
A free agent class full of familiar faces
The Lynx enter a historically deep free agency market with six players from last year’s roster available on the open market: Alanna Smith, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, DiJonai Carrington, Natisha Hiedeman, and Jessica Shepard. Each carries value, and each decision carries weight.
Smith may be the most pressing priority outside of Collier. The forward, who shared the 2025 WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year honor, produced 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game last season, making her one of the most impactful two-way players in the league at her position. Her defensive versatility, paired with Collier’s interior dominance, formed the backbone of Minnesota’s elite defensive identity.
McBride, Williams, Carrington, and Hiedeman each contributed meaningfully to Minnesota’s league-best record last season. Carrington and Hiedeman both dealt with injuries late in the year, Carrington with a left foot sprain, and both sat out the Unrivaled winter league as a result. Their availability and desire to return to Minnesota remain questions that will shape the Lynx’s offseason direction. Shepard, a reliable interior presence and rebounder, rounds out a group that collectively represents institutional knowledge the organization cannot easily replicate.
Sherrod joins on training camp deal
One early move provided a glimpse into the Lynx’s intentions to add competitive depth. Guard Jaylyn Sherrod agreed to a training camp contract with Minnesota, a deal that offers both sides an opportunity to evaluate fit as the roster takes shape. Sherrod spent time with both the New York Liberty and the Lynx during the 2025 season.
Reeve under pressure to deliver
The margin for error is narrow. Under the new CBA, all WNBA teams must carry a minimum of 12 players, with the option to add two developmental players. Minnesota also holds the No. 2 overall selection in the upcoming collegiate draft, a valuable asset that could inject immediate talent alongside the veterans Reeve pursues in free agency.
The Lynx open the regular season on May 10 against Allisha Gray, Angel Reese, and the Atlanta Dream at Target Center.