Predicting Kelsey Mitchell's next team is not an easy task.
The high-scoring guard is coming off an All-WNBA season where she placed third in MVP voting, at the height of her powers and at 30 years old, still firmly in her prime. She will also be an unrestricted free agent, able to choose her own team this winter.
Will Mitchell choose to remain with the only franchise she has ever known, signing a supermax contract to stay with the Indiana Fever? Or will the drama and political tensions prove too much and drive her to another team?
There are a lot of good reasons to think that the Minnesota Lynx could be that next team.
The Lynx need an upgrade
The Lynx have a Hall of Fame head coach in Cheryl Reeve and were the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs this year. They were also upended in two games by the 8-seed New York Liberty, and have a superstar free agent of their own in Napheesa Collier.
Convincing Collier to stay is priority No. 1, but upgrading the roster is priority No. 2. Minnesota began that roster changeover last offseason, drafting point guard Olivia Miles and losing a number of rotation players in free agency or the expansion draft. They retained a couple of key veterans, including 32-year-old guard Courtney Williams.
Williams moved over from point guard to shooting guard to allow for the rise of Miles, who was an All-WNBA player as a rookie. It's not that the move went poorly -- Williams still made the All-Star team -- but it was not putting Williams in the best role for her skill set.
Moving on from Williams and continuing the retooling of the roster around Miles makes sense, but Williams is beloved in Minnesota - trading her away with no one to replace her would make little sense. That's where Kelsey Mitchell comes in.
Mitchell could thrive in Minnesota
If Mitchell wants to leave to be the single face of her own team, the Lynx are not the right choice. Miles is an ascending star, and this is her team for years to come. It may just be that Mitchell isn't looking for center-stage stardom, however, especially not after having it for years on Fever teams that didn't even make the playoffs.
Mitchell just had the best season of her career, and she did it playing alongside a star point guard skilled at setting up teammates and simultaneously drawing defensive attention. Pairing herself with another such guard would make a lot of sense.
Reeve also represents another positive to joining Minnesota, as one of the coaching GOATs could help to further nurture and maximize Mitchell's game. It's not that she didn't have any of that from Stephanie White in Indiana, but Reeve is an upgrade on any other coach in the league.
Staying in Indiana could be an excellent on-court move for Mitchell to continue scoring at a high level, but there is a lot of baggage to being on the Fever right now. It might be nice for the Midwest native to stay in the general vicinity and yet get out of the Indiana tornado of coverage and takes.
Whether replacing Collier as the team's No. 2 star, or joining to form a Big 3, there is a lot to like about Mitchell joining the Minnesota Lynx. If she is ready to make a change, the Lynx could add one of the few upgrades in the league on Courtney Williams and take their roster to the next level.
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