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Cheryl Reeve is doing everything she can to prevent Napheesa Collier disaster

Collier’s future with the Lynx is anything but certain.
ByElaine Blum|
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May 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) looks on before the second half against the Atlanta Dream at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
May 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) looks on before the second half against the Atlanta Dream at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Lynx had a rough offseason. Napheesa Collier had surgery on both ankles and won’t be ready to play for a few more weeks at least. Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard, and DiJonai Carrington all left in free agency, and Bridget Carleton and Maria Kliundikova were picked up in the expansion draft. As if that wasn’t enough yet, Dorka Juhasz injured her ankle before the season. 

The one bright spot of the Lynx’s offseason was that they drafted Olivia Miles second overall. Her WNBA career is off to a phenomenal start. 

With all those offseason departures and the addition of Olivia Miles, the Lynx seemed to be headed toward a Napheesa Collier disaster. Collier only signed a one-year deal with the Lynx and hasn’t publicly committed to a long-term future in Minnesota. So, speculations about her plans after this season arose. She may want to become a free agent and explore other options for the 2027 season. 

Cheryl Reeve is working hard to make sure that Minnesota remains an appealing place for Collier. 

Minnesota is off to a great start

The start of the season could have been really rough for the Lynx with a rookie point guard leading the offense and their best player sidelined. But that hasn’t been the case. The Lynx lost a one-point game to the Atlanta Dream to start the season, but then beat the Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings. 

Miles already looks like the kind of point guard every big can only dream of playing with, and the idea of running pick-and-rolls with her should definitely get Collier excited about all of the possibilities in Minnesota. 

Moreover, Courtney Williams looks very comfortable back in the shooting guard spot, and Natasha Howard put up big numbers in the last two games. Nia Coffey is the latest player in a long line of forgotten role players who just excel in Cheryl Reeve’s system. 

The one big issue the Lynx need to overcome at the moment is that Emma Cechova, another exciting rookie, tore her ACL against the Wings, further hurting the Lynx’s frontcourt depth. 

The Lynx proved that they could win games and be competitive without Collier in the mix. Now imagine how much better they would be with Collier on the court doing MVP-candidate things. A starting lineup of Olivia Miles, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Natasha Howard, and Napheesa Collier may be undersized, but it still has deadly potential. 

Reeve and the rest of the Lynx’s roster are showing Collier that she doesn’t have to leave to compete, but if she ultimately just wants a fresh start and new opportunities, that won’t help the Lynx. 

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