WNBA coring decisions: team-by-team breakdown of what we learned

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 3: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx reacts during game against the Indiana Fever on July 3, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 3: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx reacts during game against the Indiana Fever on July 3, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 19: Head Coach Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx talks at Lindsay Whalen Post Game Tribute after the game against the Washington Mystics on August 19, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 19: Head Coach Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx talks at Lindsay Whalen Post Game Tribute after the game against the Washington Mystics on August 19, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)

We’ll start in Minnesota, where the decision to keep Moore is an easy one. Despite a down year by her standards (still a Hall of Fame-level campaign, it should be noted), Maya Moore is central to the transition the Lynx are making from a veteran core that won four WNBA titles into what Cheryl Reeve is carving out next. With Lindsay Whalen now firmly in the coaching realm, Rebekka Brunson and Seimone Augustus both in the latter years of their careers, building around Moore and Sylvia Fowles isn’t exactly a teardown, and this gives Reeve flexibility as she plots her next great team in Minnesota, knowing Moore is part of that plan. Notably, this also means Augustus and Brunson are free agents, setting the stage for some additional, fundamental decisions by both players and team.