The Minnesota Lynx lost two of their last three games and seem to be gearing up for a bigger roster move. With Karlie Samuelson out, the Lynx need another reliable player off the bench—or in the starting lineup if Cheryl Reeve is open to moving Bridget Carleton to the bench. Diamond Miller has filled Samuelson’s minutes. She has provided a scoring boost, but not much else, and doesn’t have the postseason experience the Lynx would like to see from their players down the line.
The Lynx waived second-year player Alissa Pili, bringing the number of players on the roster to eleven and making the room necessary to potentially sign another player. Pili now has to try to get a deal with another team to get back on the court this season. In Los Angeles, she could reunite with her college coach, Lynne Roberts.
Alissa Pili played her best basketball under Lynne Roberts
Alissa Pili played five seasons of college basketball before entering the WNBA draft in 2024. She spent her first three seasons playing for Southern California. Her minutes decreased with each season, and so did her production. Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Pili went to Utah, joining Lynne Roberts’s team.
In Utah, Pili played the best basketball of her college career. She immediately took over a starting role and went from averaging 7.8 points per game in her third season at Southern California to putting up 20.7 points per game in Utah. She also significantly increased her rebounding and assist numbers and shooting percentages.
In the 2023-24 season, Pili averaged a career-high 21.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. She also established herself as a true 3-point threat at the forward spot in Utah.
Pili didn’t get to play much with the Lynx
In the WNBA, Pili hasn’t gotten many chances to show the talent that was so obvious in college—a struggle many rookies face when they join a veteran team desperate to win at the highest level. She played 36 total games with the Lynx, but only averaged 6.1 minutes and produced little in her time on the court.
Most of her minutes came late in games that were already decided. Pili only played more than eight minutes three times—against the Dallas Wings in the Lynx’s season opener and twice in big wins over the Los Angeles Sparks.
To start the season, Pili was stuck in the forward rotation behind Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard, and Karlie Samuelson. Then, the Lynx also signed Maria Kliundikova to further bolster the frontcourt depth. When Samuelson went down, her minutes went to Miller, not Pili.
The Sparks have a roster spot available now
The Sparks waived center Mercedes Russell. With Cameron Brink nearing her return from injury, Russell’s role on the roster disappeared. The Sparks already have a lot of size in the frontcourt between Azura Stevens, Cameron Brink, and Dearica Hamby, and didn’t really need another center.
However, if Pili can bring the same kind of 3-point shooting she showed in her last two college seasons, she could play next to any of the Sparks’ bigs. She could even play some minutes at the three if she can keep up defensively.
Signing Pili would make sense if Roberts believes she can find developmental minutes for her former player and would like to have another young forward to develop alongside Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson rather than chasing a playoff spot.
If the Sparks want to use Brink’s impending return as a boost to climb in the regular-season standings and into the playoff race, they will likely fill their final roster spot with a more veteran option.