A shocking turn in Minnesota.
Following a report on WCCO TV from sports director Mike Max speculating that Maya Moore would sit out the 2019 season, Minnesota Lynx head coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve put out a statement addressing Moore’s future on Thursday afternoon.
“We have been in close contact with Maya Moore and together, are deciding the best way to approach next season,” Reeve said.
The statement will only further fan the flames on this story, given how much it didn’t say — it didn’t knock down the idea that Moore is considering sitting out the season, for instance, nor whether she might request a trade.
Might Maya Moore miss the 2019 season? WCCO TV reported Wed. Moore was considering sitting out, retiring or seeking a trade.
— Kent Youngblood (@BloodStrib) January 17, 2019
Just now the Lynx put out a statement: “We have been in close contact with Maya Moore and together, are deciding the best way to approach next season.”
Representatives for Moore did not immediately respond to a question on Moore’s future. Reeve declined to elaborate further beyond her initial statement.
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The news comes as a shock, just days after the Lynx put a core tag on Moore, seeming to finalize her return for the 2019 season. With Moore sitting out this offseason, rather than playing overseas, the chance for the Lynx to build a 2019 roster around a rested Moore and Sylvia Fowles, the latter recovering from offseason surgery and thus staying home as well, meant the outlook was bright for the Lynx.
This represents a new and unwelcome bit of churn for a roster that’s experienced both remarkable consistency and success since the arrival of Moore in 2011. The Lynx won WNBA titles in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, reaching the WNBA finals on two other occasions in that time.
Moore is on track to make a case as the best player in the history of the league. Moore has already accumulated 53.5 win shares, good for 13th in the history of the WNBA, and all prior to turning 30 next June.
Maya Moore turns 30 in June, and it's understandable how years of playing near year-round can be very draining. Players have to protect themselves. I hope she's OK and that she and the Lynx - who've had such a mutually beneficial time together - work things out for the best.
— Michael Voepel (@MAVoepel) January 17, 2019
But 2018 was an uncharacteristic season for Moore, who posted the lowest single-season true shooting percentage, rebound and assist percentages of her career. And the Lynx, too, dipped to 18-16, falling in the first round of the WNBA playoffs to the Los Angeles Sparks.