Everything is basically up in the air in Minneapolis. If you follow the WNBA, you know the Minnesota Lynx just came off a massive 2025 season where they tied the league record with 34 wins. They were a juggernaut. But honestly, looking at the wnba minnesota lynx roster for 2026 feels like trying to assemble a 1,000-piece puzzle where half the pieces are currently sitting in a free-agency pile and the other half are potentially headed to expansion teams in Portland or Toronto.
Cheryl Reeve has a lot on her plate. As the winningest coach in combined regular and postseason history, she’s used to pressure, but this is different. Every single starter from that dominant 2025 squad—Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, and Bridget Carleton—is technically an unrestricted free agent (UFA) right now. That just doesn't happen to a first-place team.
The Phee Factor and the Ankle Question
Napheesa Collier is the sun that this entire system orbits around. She’s coming off a year where she averaged 22.9 points and became only the second player ever to hit the 50-40-90 shooting split. But there’s a catch. She’s coming off ankle surgery in early January 2026.
She's going to miss the entire Unrivaled season, and there is a very real chance she isn't ready for the start of the 2026 WNBA season in May. If you're the Lynx, you "core" her immediately. You don't let a defensive player of the year and MVP candidate walk. But how do you build a roster around a superstar who might be in a walking boot while the first few games tip off?
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The rest of the core is just as murky. Kayla McBride has been a rock, never missing a start since joining the team, but at 33, does she want one last huge contract elsewhere? Then you have Courtney Williams, who led the team with 6.2 assists per game. She was the engine. Without her, the offense kinda just stalls.
Breaking Down the 2026 Roster Uncertainty
When we look at who is actually "safe," the list is surprisingly short. We're talking mostly about players still on rookie deals or those with limited service time.
- Anastasiia Kosu: The 2025 second-round pick is one of the few guaranteed to be back. She's young, raw, and still on that rookie scale.
- Dorka Juhász: She stayed in Europe for the 2025 season (suspended contract), but the Lynx still hold her rights. If she comes back to the States, she’s a massive 6-foot-5 addition to a frontcourt that desperately needs size.
- The Reserved Players: Jaylyn Sherrod and Masha Kliundikova are "reserved," meaning Minnesota has exclusive rights to them. Sherrod brought that "Point Dog" energy off the bench last year, and they'd be smart to keep that spark.
The 2026 draft is where things get interesting. Because of a previous trade with the Chicago Sky, the Lynx actually have a top-four pick despite having the best record in 2025. That is a total "rich get richer" scenario. Everyone is eyeing Lauren Betts, the 6-foot-7 center from UCLA. If Reeve lands Betts, the wnba minnesota lynx roster suddenly has the interior presence they’ve lacked since Sylvia Fowles retired.
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Why the Expansion Draft Changes Everything
We can't talk about this roster without mentioning the Golden State Valkyries, and the upcoming entries of Portland and Toronto. The WNBA is growing fast. Expansion drafts are brutal. You can only protect so many players.
In the 2024 expansion draft, the Lynx lost Cecilia Zandalasini to Golden State. This time around, they could lose a key rotation piece like Bridget Carleton or Natisha Hiedeman. Carleton is a fan favorite and a deadeye shooter, but she’s also a prime target for a Toronto team looking for Canadian talent. Honestly, it’s a bit of a nightmare for a GM.
What Needs to Happen Next
If you're a Lynx fan, don't panic yet. Cheryl Reeve didn't become the President of Basketball Operations by accident. She knows the CBA negotiations are a mess and that a lockout is a lingering threat, but she’s also got the most attractive "win-now" situation in the league.
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The Action Plan for the Lynx Front Office:
- Core Napheesa Collier: This is a non-negotiable. You lock her down and wait for the ankle to heal.
- Prioritize the Backcourt: Re-signing Courtney Williams should be priority 1B. Her chemistry with Phee is too good to lose.
- Draft for Size: Use that lottery pick. Whether it's Lauren Betts or Awa Fam, the Lynx need someone who can bang in the post so Alanna Smith can play her natural stretch-four role.
- Value the "Reserved" Energy: Sign Jaylyn Sherrod to a multi-year deal. You need cheap, high-energy depth when your starters are all demanding max contracts.
The next few months are going to be a frenzy of signings and "sources say" tweets. But the reality is that the wnba minnesota lynx roster will likely look 50% different by opening night. It’s a transition year that could somehow still end in a championship if they play their cards right.
Keep a close eye on the free agency period starting in February. That is when the real movement happens and we see if the 2025 "best team in the West" stays together or scatters across the league.