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Since the 2022 WNBA season, the Minnesota Lynx have gone from a playoff team, to the lottery, then back to a playoff franchise — and even a WNBA Championship contender. In rebuilding years, that is fast (trust me, I am a Toronto Raptors fan). So when the Minnesota Lynx started the 2024 WNBA season, many thought it was still too early for this team to contend. The WNBA community proved that by putting them low on basically every preseason power ranking on the market.
That should have been the last time anyone doubted Cheryl Reeve.
Last year’s season turned into a wild success for the Lynx. Not only was their star Napheesa Collier officially back to her level of play from before she gave birth — she was quickly exceeding that level of skill and making a case for MVP. The pieces that had been added to the team in Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith fit perfectly into the ecosystem. Bridget Carleton was transforming from role player to star before our eyes. It took a minute for people to finally see the vision, but when the Lynx won the Commissioner’s Cup final against the New York Liberty, the WNBA as a whole started to see this team as real contenders.
Then they got even better. Coming out of the Olympic break, Minnesota was on a tear — winning 14 out of their 16 games to end the season to land in the second spot in the standings. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals before New York beat them in a heartbreaking Game 5 that was as controversial as it was exciting.
With their starters still contracted through 2025, the Lynx did not have too much work to do in the offseason. They lost Cecilia Zandalasini to Golden State’s expansion draft, and eventually Myisha Hines-Allen to free agency. They re-signed Natisha Hiedemann, and added Grace Berger, Christyn Williams, Marieme Badiane, Kiara Leslie, and Camryn Taylor to training camp contracts. Dorka Juhasz, Diamond Miller and Alissa Pili will all return for training camp. The traded their first round pick this season to Washington for Karlie Samuelson, and then drafted Anastasiia Kosu, Dalayah Daniels, Maia Hirsch, and Aubrey Griffin.
Time is ticking though. The WNBA season is short in comparison to an NBA season, and in order to compete with the Libertys and Aces of the league, you have to be on your best game. If the Lynx can’t return to the level of excellence they exhibited last year, they may not have another chance to do it.
A lot of teams are in the same situation, given the expiring collective bargaining deal. With that ending after this upcoming season, many players have specifically timed their contracts expire at the same time. That way when they sign new contracts in free agency, they will be signed on the new deal, under the new — likely higher — salary amounts.
The Lynx’s core — Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith — are all on expiring contracts. It won’t mean they will want to leave necessarily, but who knows if the Lynx will be able to afford to pay them what they all deserve under a new salary cap. The chemistry that this team has is undeniable, and even one or two of this core leaving could shift the dynamic of a championship-level team.
They aren’t the only team in this situation though, as most players who had the ability and leverage to do so made their contracts end after the 2025 season. Yet, it almost feels like time is running out for this iteration of the Minnesota Lynx to win a championship. They haven’t won one since 2017, when both the franchise and the sport as a whole were in a wildly different place. Every other “super” team of this current era — Vegas and New York basically — have at least one championship under their belts before the whole dynamic of the WNBA changes next year.
The good thing for Minnesota is that this team is not just good, but also tried and tested. Last season they made it all the way to the end, and could have (many will say should have) won it all. All they have to do is play like they know how to play. Collier’s performance at the Unrivaled offseason league just proves she’s somehow still getting better, and the other core members are coming fresh from offseason play as well. Hopefully there won’t be any rust to shake off.
The 2025 Lynx will surely be playing with a chip on their shoulder after how the 2024 season ended for them, but it seems like the stakes are higher than ever. Whether they can meet them will determine if this is the year they seize the championship they came within arm’s reach of last season.
