Two years after coming up short in the WNBA Finals and a year removed from having their season end in the semifinals, the Minnesota Lynx entered the offseason looking to retool and make another run at a title in 2026.
But when the offseason officially began after the new CBA was agreed upon, things went south fast for Minnesota — or so it seemed.
The Lynx lost two key starters — Bridget Carleton in the Expansion Draft and Alanna Smith in free agency. They lost key bench players Natisha Hiedeman, Jessica Shepard, and DiJonai Carrington in free agency, along with Maria Kliundikova in the Expansion Draft.
That’s losing four key players on your bench and six players overall — all while learning that your superstar Napheesa Collier would be undergoing double ankle surgery over the offseason and wouldn’t be ready for the start of the 2026 season.
For most teams, losing seven key players like that would be too much to deal with. That would result in many teams crumbling, potentially setting the franchise back a year or more, or even changing the entire direction of the franchise entirely.
But not for Minnesota. Not for a Cheryl Reeve led team. In fact, the Lynx haven’t seen much of a drop off from a league-best record a season ago, without Collier even having stepped on the court yet.
Rebuilding the Roster
As the first few days of free agency unfolded this past offseason and as the number of players leaving Minnesota continued to climb, many wondered what the direction of this team would be and, as some said at the time, “what is Cheryl doing?”
Well, what Reeve was doing behind the scenes was planning for the worst; she was planning for a situation just like this one, with players darting to other teams for potentially more money in the new CBA.
Reeve and the Lynx weren’t caught off guard as much as some may think, and they were quietly planning for what the direction of the franchise would look like in 2026 and beyond.
As free agency continued, Minnesota would end up adding the likes of Nia Coffey and Natasha Howard — two key pieces to the starting lineup to begin the season this summer.
Talked with Cheryl Reeve in pregame about the vision defensively, having added Natasha Howard & Nia Coffey to the fold.
Very clear what the desire is, & where she feels they are in that at the moment. pic.twitter.com/qQORPoS9Ym
— Stephen PridGeon-Garner 🏁 (@StephenPG3) May 13, 2026
They re-signed a potential starter in Dorka Juhász, who stayed overseas during the 2025 WNBA season and decided to return to Minnesota this summer — though she hasn’t played yet due to an ankle injury. They then focused on the depth of the bench, notably signing international talents Antonia Delaere and Emma Cechova, trading for Maya Caldwell, and most recently signing veteran center Teaira McCowan.
Oh, and Minnesota added this point guard in the draft that you may have heard of — Olivia Miles. The second overall pick has only gotten off to a historic start and earned WNBA Rookie of the Month honors in May as the Lynx’s starting point guard.
“We spent a lot of time on finding players that we know are productive on the court,” Reeve said. “You work long and hard on your evaluations of things you know fit and the things that you value. You don’t know it’s always going to work out. There are many times when you put a team together, and it doesn’t work. We’ve just been fortunate.”
Reeve, her coaching staff, and the Lynx front office used the roster turnover to remake and rebuild this roster. They put the right pieces in place when many thought the sky was falling, and those pieces they did place together to make up this year’s roster have turned out better than anyone could have expected.
Surprising the WNBA
The new-look Lynx haven’t just treaded above water to start the new year, they have surprised many over the first month of the season as we get June underway.
Over the first month and a half of the season, the Lynx own the best record in the WNBA, are one of the hottest teams in the league, have the best road record and one of the best teams at home, and are atop numerous statistical categories as a team — all without their MVP-caliber forward, Collier, stepping on the court.
“I have a lot of faith in our group and in our coaching staff and our team,” Kayla McBride said. “Everything is just gelling. We play hard, we play for each other, and we enjoy playing together. I just think it’s fun and we’re having fun figuring it out together. That’s what has been the best part.”
A month and a half into the regular season, the Lynx have ranked first in defensive rating (98.2), second in offensive rating (114.1), and first, by a wide margin, in net rating (13.2). Minnesota ranks first in scoring (92.6), first in field goal percentage (50.5 percent), first in three-point percentage (38.7 percent), and third in assists (22.1). Defensively, the Lynx rank second in points allowed to opponents (79.4) and lead the league in opponent field goal percentage (39.2 percent), while ranking second in steals (9.0) and fourth in blocks (4.8).
Minnesota has the best record in the league as we near the one-quarter mark of the regular season. But statistically, it has also been the best team.
With all but four players new to Minnesota entering the season, nobody expected this. Everyone thought the Lynx would have a rebuilding year, getting Collier back healthy and focusing on reloading this upcoming offseason.
But rebuilding isn’t something Reeve and the Lynx do. They will do everything they can to avoid that. And what has resulted is not only a solid roster, but somewhat surprisingly one of the best in the WNBA, with Collier soon being added to the mix.