With January about halfway over, that means things are starting to heat up in the WNBA as the offseason continues.
Now through Jan. 20, WNBA teams are able to make qualifying offers and core designations for free agent players, with teams being able to start negotiating with free agents starting Jan. 21. Beginning Feb. 1, players can finalize contracts and sign offer sheets.
Along with that, the highly-anticipated debut of Unrivaled will take place this week, as the groundbreaking 3-on-3 league begins play in Miami.
As we wait for those events to unfold, other players continue to play overseas across the globe this offseason, and for the Minnesota Lynx that includes a total of 12 players who are under team control spread out across the world playing either overseas or remaining here in the United States for offseason competition.
Lynx players staying in the United States or playing overseas include: Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alissa Pili, Bridget Carleton, Alanna Smith, Natisha Hiedeman, Dorka Juhász, Diamond Miller, Myisha Hines-Allen, Maïa Hirsch and Jessica Shepard.
With the offseason picking up from here on out ahead of the new WNBA year, let’s take a look at how each of the Lynx players performed over the past week in the latest edition of our Lynx Offseason Update series.
Bridget Carleton — ÇBK Mersin (Turkey)
Now with Carleton playing with ÇBK Mersin in Turkey after starting the offseason with UNI Györ in Hungary, she looks to continue a strong offseason put together thus far.
Over the past week, she took the floor in a pair of contests, nearing double figures in one game and having a quiet outing offensively in the other. In both appearances, however, Carleton did a nice job in other areas of the game to make an impact.
Season Stats:
With ÇBK Mersin:
Turkey-KBSL: 2 games — 8.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 30.0 MPG
Euroleague: 1 game — 2.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 30.0 MPG
UNI Györ:
Hungary-A Division: 5 games — 12.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 31.2 MPG
Euroleague: 2 games — 15.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 36.0 MPG
Recent Games:
Jan. 8 vs. Landes (73-53 win): two points (1-3 FG, 0-4 3Pt), eight rebounds, three assists and one steal over 30 minutes
Jan. 11 vs. Kocaeli (83-68 win): nine points (0-1 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, four assists, and one block over 31 minutes
Alanna Smith — Shandong (China)
Smith has been all over the globe over the course of her WNBA career, currently playing for Shandong in China. During her career, Smith has played in Australia, Poland, and Turkey before landing with her current Chinese squad.
So far this offseason, Smith has put together a strong season, taking the court for a trio of contests again this past week. After a strong 20-10 performance to start those three games, Smith ended up having a bit of quieter showings in China.
Season Stats:
China-WCBA: 21 games — 15.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.1 SPG
Recent Games:
Jan. 5 vs. Jiangsu (80-68 win): 22 points (5-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 3-6 FT), 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals
Jan. 7 vs. Zhejiang (86-84 loss): 11 points (5-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-3 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one steal
Jan. 10 vs. Shanghai (84-79 loss): 12 points (2-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and one steal
Dorka Juhász — Famila Schio (Italy)
Juhász is back in Italy again this year, coming off a strong campaign with Famila Schio last offseason and looking to build upon that this season as she prepares for her third WNBA campaign in 2025.
As the offseason progresses, Juhász has seen her play increase, and that was once again the case over the past week. In her first of two outings on the week, Juhász put together her first double-double outing of the offseason while recording the highest point total she has to this point in Italy.
Season Stats:
Italy-Serie A1: 6 games — 6.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 17.3 MPG
Euroleague: 4 games — 7.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 21.5 MPG
Recent Games:
Jan. 7 vs. Bourges (67-62 win): 14 points (6-7 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 12 rebounds, five steals and four assists over 31 minutes
Jan. 11 vs. Battipaglia (85-49 win): six points (1-1 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT) and three rebounds over 24 minutes
Diamond Miller — Gorzow Wielkopolski (Poland)
Miller had her season cut short last offseason while dealing with a knee injury, only appearing in three games in Hungary before returning to Minnesota to rehab her injury. This offseason, she has done well in her first full healthy offseason.
Over the past week, Miller took the court for one game, again doing a nice job offensively while recording her second straight outing with 15 or more points.
Season Stats:
Poland-OBLK: 9 games — 17.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 28.4 MPG
EuroCup: 4 games — 12.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 31.5 MPG
Recent Games:
Jan. 12 vs. Torun (89-78 loss): 16 points (4-10 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 5-7 FT), four rebounds, two assists and one block over 25 minutes
Natisha Hiedeman — Inner Mongolia (China)
As a soon-to-be WNBA free agent, Hiedeman is spending her offseason ahead of WNBA free agency overseas with Inner Mongolia in China. During her career, Hiedeman has also spent time in Israel, Russia, and Sweden before arriving in China.
With her Chinese squad, Hiedeman has gotten off to a nice start to China-WCBA play while providing a boost to her team as a floor general. This past week, she opened the week of two games by posting an all-around performance while surpassing the 20-point mark, ending the week with a quiet showing offensively but again putting together a strong outing defensively.
Season Stats:
China-WCBA: 20 games — 14.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.9 SPG
Recent Games:
Jan. 7 vs. Xinjiang (86-75 win): 21 points (7-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds, six assists and four steals
Jan. 11 vs. Beijing (84-68 win): five points (1-2 FG, 1-3 3Pt), five assists, three steals and two rebounds
Myisha Hines-Allen — Heilongjiang (China)
Also a soon-to-be free agent, HInes-Allen is spending her offseason in China while playing for Heilongjiang in the same league as her Lynx teammates Smith and Hiedeman. During her career, Hines-Allen has also played in France, Italy, South Korea, Russia and Turkey.
Every week, it seems like Hines-Allen has dominated in China-WCBA action, and she once again had a strong week over the past week with three games. Hines-Allen set a new season-high scoring total in one of the games, recording a double-double in all three contests while also distributing the ball well.
Season Stats:
China-WCBA: 21 games — 23.9 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.1 SPG
Recent Games:
Jan. 5 vs. Xiamen (73-60 win): 22 points (11-18 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 10 rebounds, six assists and one steal
Jan. 7 vs. Xiamen (75-69 win): 41 points (12-25 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 17-18 FT), 18 rebounds, four assists and one steal
Jan. 10 vs. Ganzhou (81-67 win): 13 points (4-11 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 16 rebounds, eight assists and two steals
Jessica Shepard — Athinaikos AS Vurona (Greece)
Some may have forgotten about Shepard since she didn’t play in the WNBA in 2024 on a suspended contract while remaining overseas, but the veteran is still under control of the Lynx.
Shepard has dominated in Greece while playing with Athinaikos AS Vurona, averaging a double-double in Greece-A1 play. In one appearance over the past week, Shepard didn’t shine as much as we’ve seen earlier this offseason but managed to record her first triple-double of the campaign instead.
Season Stats:
Greece-A1: 8 games — 27.9 PPG, 14.3 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 33.3 MPG
Recent Games:
Jan. 6 vs. PAOK (84-55 win): 13 points (6-7 FG, 1-2 FT), 15 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in 26 minutes
Maïa Hirsch — ESB Villeneuve (France)
Hirsch has yet to appear with the Lynx or in the WNBA after being drafted 12th overall by Minnesota in 2023 but is still under team control as she remains in France with ESB Villeneuve.
So far this offseason, Hirsch hasn’t seen a high level of production in France-BWL action, some of that due to the lack of minutes on the court in France. Over the past week, Hirsch didn’t appear in any action on the court with ESB Villeneuve.
Season Stats:
France-BWL: 6 games — 3.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.5 BPG, 12.8 MPG
EuroCup: 2 games — 8.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 19.0 MPG
Recent Games:
Jan. 5 vs. Landerneau (81-65 win): no points (0-0 FG) and three rebounds over six minutes
Just About Underway
While the players listed above have already begun their seasons across the globe, four more Lynx players will remain in the country and will take part in leagues in the United States in January and February.
Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams are taking part in the new Unrivaled League, which was co-founded by Collier and Breanna Stewart. Former Lynx General Manager Clare Duwelius is also taking part in that league as an executive, serving as its General Manager and Executive Vice President.
Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league featuring six players on six teams, will kick off its inaugural season in Miami on Jan. 17.
The fourth Lynx player remaining in the country but still playing is rookie Alissa Pili, who will take part in the Athletes Unlimited league. Athletes Unlimited, which was founded in 2022, will be taking the league to Nashville this season, kicking off the year on Feb. 5.
That will do it for this week. As always, thank you for reading! We will catch up with you next week with another Lynx Offseason Update.
