Free agency was agonizing for Minnesota Lynx fans. It started with all the hope in the world after a local Minnesota balloon company accidentally leaked a free agency visit from former MVP Nneka Ogwumike, sparking rumors that she may be signing with the Lynx.
However, those dreams were shattered when Ogwumike signed with the Los Angeles Sparks when free agency opened. After that, it seemed like nothing would break Minnesota’s way.
Rumor had it that Seattle breakout wing Gabby Williams surfaced. However, she re-signed with Seattle.
For a brief time, Kelsey Plum to Minnesota seemed possible, then she got a core offer from the Sparks.
After the Liberty chose to Core Sabrina Ionescu, fans clung onto the possibility of former MVPs Breanna Stewart or Jonquel Jones joining the team. However, that dream was also struck down almost immediately.
It left the Lynx waiting for news updates all day Thursday and Friday, when negotiations officially opened, and signing Saturday came and went without a single move announced for the Lynx.
Meanwhile, alert after alert came through of the Lynx players from the “Power of Friendship” leaving for lucrative new contracts.
On Friday, backup guard and runner-up to the Sixth Player of the Year award, Natisha Hiedeman, signed a two-year deal worth $1.525 million with the Seattle Storm.
Backup center Jessica Shepard, who finished third in the Sixth Player of the Year, would ink a two-year deal worth 2.05 million in total with the Dallas Wings.
Last year's co-defensive player of the year winner, Alanna Smith, would shock fans by joining Shepard in Dallas and signing a max contract worth $3.748 million over three years, which, at the time of signing, made her the highest-paid player in the WNBA.
On Sunday, DiJonai Carrington also left the Lynx for a one-year deal in Chicago; the exact dollar amount had not been released at the time of writing.
Add those departures in with Bridget Carleton in the expansion draft, who signed a three-year deal for $1.190 million annually with the Portland Fire, and Maria Kliundikova, who signed a restricted free agent deal with the Toronto Tempo.
The Lynx entered Sunday afternoon with no official re-signings or free-agent signings. Just three of the top nine players remain unsigned from their 2025 team, which dominated the regular season en route to the best 34-10 record. Fortunately, in the afternoon, the Lynx signed some players and chose to make calculated bets rather than risk overpaying players who left.
The Big Three Remain
Courtney Williams was the first Lynx domino to fall. The 31-year-old guard signed a two-year deal worth $2.4 million.
Williams finished the 2025 season as arguably the second-best player on the Lynx. She made the All-Star Game, averaging 13.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for the Lynx. She shot 38.9% from three, and finished with the best player efficiency rating of her ten-year career at 17.9. The two-time All-Star gives the Lynx some familiarity at the point for a third and fourth season.
Shortly after the Williams signing, Kayla McBride was announced as returning to the Lynx on a two-year deal, with the financial details yet to be released. The five-time All-Star has made two in a row for the Lynx, and the 33-year-old 14-year pro has shown few signs of slowing down.
Williams is still the best perimeter defender on the Lynx and an efficient three-point shooter, making 39.5% of her attempts on 6.7 per game. She averaged 14.4 points per game, 0.2 points above her career average, and 3.5 assists per game, a career best. Because she re-signed, the Lynx backcourt will remain intact for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Napheesa Collier is also expected to be back after receiving a core offer, but no deal has yet been announced. The two-time MVP runner-up and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year is expected to miss time due to dual ankle surgery in the offseason.
In 2025, Collier completed the second-ever 50-40-90 season, averaging 53.1% from the field, 40.3 from three-point range, and 90.6% from the free-throw line. She averaged 22.9 points per game, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.6 steals. While her contract length and return date are unknown, she will rejoin the Lynx and their big three for a likely playoff run.
Returning Players
Dorka Juhasz is expected to return to the roster after sitting out the 2025 season. She put together an MVP-caliber performance, averaging 13.4 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. She will return to the Lynx as the starting center, replacing Alanna Smith.
Jaylyn Sherrod returns to the Lynx after joining them midway through 2025, after being let go by the New York Liberty. Despite only playing in eight games for the Lynx, she still has the potential from her standout career at Colorado. She inked a training camp deal with the Lynx to return in 2026.
They drafted Aubrey Griffin 37th overall in the 2025 draft. However, she missed the entire season due to an injury. The 6'1” forward won an NCAA championship with UConn in 2024-25. However, she was plagued with injuries throughout her last two seasons. She signed a rookie scale contract to compete for a roster spot in camp.
Reigan Richardson returns to the Lynx as well after being one of the last players cut in the 2025 training camp. The Duke standout played in Spain over the last season and will join the Lynx on a training camp deal.
Free Agent Signees
Natasha Howard returns to the Lynx after spending the past eight years. The two-time NBA All-Star signed a two-year contract worth $1.435 million. The 34-year-old big proved last season with the Indiana Fever that she still has plenty left in the tank, averaging 11.4 points per game and 6.6 rebounds while starting all 44 games in the regular season.
She was also an integral part of the Fever's playoff run, which ended in the semi-finals against the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces.
Nia Coffey was signed to a two-year contract, reportedly near the veteran minimum, to try to jumpstart her career after spending the last four seasons in Atlanta. The Hopkins graduate had a breakout season in 2021 with the Sparks, shooting 41.7% from three and averaging a career-best 8.3 points per game. It resulted in a long-term deal with the Dream. However, her role and minutes slowly decreased in Atlanta. Minnesota signed her to compete for a starting wing position.
The Lynx also signed a trio of international prospects to training camp deals, including Antonia Delaere from Belgium. Eliska Hamzova and Emma Cechova join the Lynx from the Czech Republic’s national team.
The Draft Picks
The Lynx selected Olivia Miles out of TCU with the second overall pick to replace Hiedeman.
The 5’10” guard started all 38 games for the Horned Frogs, averaged 19.6 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists, and 1.8 assists. Miles shot 48.1% from the floor, 35.1% from three, and 93.9% from the line.
She’s a capable passer who is a workhorse. She played 1344 minutes in 38 games last season. She has good court vision and seems to be a willing passer, as well as someone who can hit open shots from three while also driving to the rim.
From an analytic standpoint, she’s got a couple of questions coming out of college. She has a 1.78 assist-to-turnover ratio and had some rough ones in her senior season. There are also questions about her defense, given her size, and she had just 3.6 defensive win shares at TCU. The hope would be that playing in the Lynx system would improve her defense, and learning from Williams, Reeve, and Whalen would improve her decision-making.
They also selected Lani White out of Utah with the 45th pick in the draft. The 6’0 guard averaged 15.9 points per game, shooting 40.4% from three. She likely rounds out the Lynx training camp roster and will have an opportunity to prove herself on a turned-over Lynx roster.
The Lynx will only be returning four of the 11 players on the playoff roster at the end of the season, just a few months ago. The outgoing players all received paydays from new teams, and the Lynx replaced them with draft picks and educated guesses on free agents. The big three remain, and alongside them will be a lot of new faces. One thing is for certain, though: this offseason marks the end of the 2024-25 Power of Friendship Era.
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