Even though the Minnesota Lynx did not win the WNBA Finals this year, they certainly had a season to be proud of.
As they look to reload and run it back to the championship next year in pursuit of a record fifth title for the franchise, the team will look slightly different due to the expansion draft.
The Golden State Valkyries can pick a player from each of the 12 other teams, and all the other teams in the league only get to protect six of their players. Everyone else is fair game. Here is a look at who from the Lynx might be headed to the Bay Area.
Natisha Hiedeman was originally drafted by the Lynx in 2019 but was traded the same day to the Connecticut Sun. Last year, she was signed by the Lynx in the offseason, reuniting with former Sun teammates Courtney Williams and Bridget Carleton en route to the championship series.
The 5-foot-8 guard averaged 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists off the bench this season, but Hiedeman’s biggest asset is the way she sees the court and sets up the offense on each possession. She will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, making her a target for the Valkyries. However, if Golden State does draft Hiedeman, they would have to sign her to a supermax deal due to being an UFA.
The former second-overall pick from the 2023 draft for the Lynx could go to Golden State through a trade or the draft. Miller saw a decrease in playing time this season from last and primarily saw action off the bench versus the starter role she played in 2023.
While Miller saw a reduced role this year, the Valkyries could take advantage of her versatility, her shooting ability inside the paint and on the perimeter and her physical defense.
Rookies are in a tough spot for this expansion draft because one side of the coin is a new opportunity to grow with a new franchise, and the other side is that the current team they are decided not to take a chance on developing said player to their potential by not protecting them.
That is the spot that Alissa Pili is in. While they could protect her, they are more likely to not since they have more established WNBA players to protect if they want to return to the finals.
From Golden State’s point of view, Pili is like a piece of putty, ready to be molded into an All-Star. She can play lockdown defense and has a versatile scoring ability. With the right organization, the former PAC-12 Player of the Year could blossom into some of the top WNBA talent.
