Napheesa Collier will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and all eyes are on her next move following the Minnesota Lynx's exit in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. As free agency looms, a report has emerged about Collier's possible interest in playing in New York.
Collier was drafted by the Lynx as the sixth overall pick of the 2019 WNBA Draft and has been with the franchise since. The 30-year-old has achieved nearly everything there is to achieve in the sport of basketball.
However, a WNBA title has eluded the Lynx since 2017. And with insider Martin Soaries revealing on the "Protect Our Queens Podcast" that an unnamed source told him a couple of months ago that Collier would 'like to play in New York City.'
During her Oct. 1 exit interview, Collier said she had not yet thought about free agency and emphasized that she loves Minnesota, the organization, and her teammates.
"I am going to share this from my end. I have a bit of intel here. … I was told a couple of months ago by this person who is a trusted source, who definitely knew what they were saying and told me this as not a rumor, but as a matter of fact, that they know that Napheesa Collier would like to play in New York City," Soaries said on the podcast.
Collier signed a one-year, $1.4 million supermax deal to stay with the Lynx ahead of the 2026 season. However, she is set to become the top target for teams with cap space, as the Lynx cannot use a core designation spot to automatically retain her.
The Lynx suffered a shock first-round exit in the WNBA playoffs, losing to the Liberty in two games.
Collier wasn't able to perform at her best this season while recovering from back-to-back ankle surgeries. The five-time WNBA All-Star played just 16 regular-season games this year, averaging 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
Following the Lynx's exit, Collier said she had not yet thought about her free agency and stopped short of committing to Minnesota, while emphasizing that she loves the organization and her teammates. "Honestly, I haven't even thought about [my future]. We lost less than 48 hours ago, and we didn't expect to be here, so I really haven't had any time to decompress or anything like that," she said.
The future of Collier will be one of the biggest offseason talking points in the WNBA, and it will be interesting to see where she heads next. However, the possibility of joining the Liberty and playing with Breanna Stewart might be too good to turn down.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
