You know what I'm about to talk about. You know the elephant in the room when talking about the upcoming offseason for the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx, who just became the first No. 1 seed in WNBA history to lose to the No. 8 seed in this playoff format. You know which star player is very likely to be departing from the team in free agency.
So, no reason to delay here. Let's just get right to it.
I don't know about you, but Napheesa Collier's exit interviews after the playoff elimination sure made it sound like she doesn't plan to be back in Minnesota next season.
Head coach Cheryl Reeve even said about Collier's free agency that "if there's something better for her, that's life." Read the leaves here: Collier is probably gone this offseason.
What do the Lynx do without their most talented player? Well, that depends on how they use the money they save from losing her. Before she returned from ankle injury, the Phee-less Lynx were already in first place, so you wouldn't think that losing Collier causes them to bottom out, but this free agent class is fairly weak when it comes to forwards. Maybe you essentially do a Collier for Kayla Thornton swap with Golden State? Maybe you try to take a shot on Maddy Siegrist? Slim pickings out there and non are close to Collier, but the rest of the roster is good enough that Minnesota will still be a regular-season contender. Olivia Miles will need to step up in next year's playoffs, though.
Minnesota Lynx forward Dorka Juhasz | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Dorka Juhasz's rights for 2027 are reserved, which means that the Lynx are the only WNBA team that she can negotiate with. That might make it seem like a no-brainer that she'll be back, but there's another possibility, which is that Juhasz just doesn't play in the WNBA next season.
The thing that makes me think this is the seeming disconnect between Juhasz's talent and how much she played in Minnesota this season. She was the 2026 EuroLeague MVP, but the Hungarian forward averaged just 15.2 minutes per game this season.
She also has sat out a WNBA season before, with Juhasz opting not to play in 2025 to give her a chance to rest. Considering the reduced role this season and her importance to Galatasaray, it's easy to see a scenario where 2027 is another off year for her, unless the Lynx decide to relinquish those reserved rights to let her test the market.
Minnesota Lynx guard Maya Caldwell | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Maya Caldwell is such a tough player to get a read on. She's a solid 3-point shooter, but really struggles to score in any other way, shooting just 37.6 percent inside the arc in 2026. She can do a little defensively out on the wing, but not enough that you wouldn't want to look for a replacement in free agency who can give you just a bit more on offense.
Caldwell could wind up back in Minnesota due to being a restricted free agent, but it just feels like the team needs to go back to the drawing board as far as backup wings go. While the market for players who can play a three-four hybrid role is weak, the market for someone who can do a two-three role is far stronger.
Minnesota could look at Kennedy Burke, Rachel Banham or Rae Burrell, or the team could take a shot on cheaper veterans like Betnijah Laney-Hamiton, Rebekah Gardner or Rebecca Allen. Basically, Minnesota has enough options that it doesn't have to just hold on to Caldwell for 2027.
This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as 3 Minnesota Lynx who won't be back after catastrophic first-round collapse .
