Napheesa Collier, Lynx Reportedly Agree to Supermax Contract, Latest Roster amid WNBA Free Agency

Five-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier is running it back with the Minnesota Lynx after agreeing to a one-year, $1.4 million max contract, per multiple reports.

It's been a busy offseason for the Lynx, who also signed Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride and Natasha Howard but lost a slew of players.

Alanna Smith was the co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 but departed for the Dallas Wings. DiJonai Carrington looked rejuvenated after her midseason trade to Minnesota from Dallas but joined the Chicago Sky. Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard were second and third respectively in the Sixth Player of the Year voting and are now on the Seattle Storm and Wings.

Those left on the roster include:

• Napheesa Collier, F
• Dorka Juhász, F
• Natasha Howard, F
• Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, F
• Kayla McBride, G
• Jaylen Sherrod, G
• Courtney Williams, G

Collier had one of the best years of her career in 2025, yet the season came to a bitterly disappointing end.

The 29-year-old was once again runner-up to the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson in the MVP voting, and she suffered an ankle injury that sidelined her as Minnesota lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA semifinals.

If Collier had stayed healthy—she missed 11 regular-season games with an ankle sprain—then she might've won her first MVP along with a WNBA title.

At the very least, the 6'1" forward affirmed her status as one of the league's best players. She averaged 22.9 points on 53.1 percent shooting along with 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks.

Collier became the second player in league history to join the 50/40/90 club, having having knocked down 40.3 percent of her threes and 90.6 percent of her free throws. Elena Delle Donne is the only other player to pull off the feat.

Head coach Cheryl Reeve argued that achievement warranted an MVP nod.

"It's only been done once before, and that player was the MVP," Reeve said in September, per ESPN's Kendra Andrews. "Phee deserves that recognition. The numbers don't lie. ... It's done from start to finish. 50/40/90 is historic. I don't know how long it will be before it happens again. Napheesa Collier has been the best player in the WNBA. She deserves MVP."

The Lynx, meanwhile, had the WNBA's best record (34-10) and finished first in net rating (plus-12.1), per WNBA.com.

Some in Collier's position might have weighed all of their options and decided a change of scenery was needed.

Minnesota couldn't get over the hump in the WNBA Finals in 2024 against the New York Liberty, and the team was already in a 2-1 hole against Phoenix when Collier went down.

With basically every veteran in the league hitting free agency, Collier had a golden opportunity to build a new star-laden squad with any other franchise. She could've paired up with a younger core such as Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston with the Indiana Fever or Paige Bueckers with the Dallas Wings as two examples.

But a return to Minneapolis was always the most likely outcome.

Reeve is one of the greatest coaches in WNBA history, and she consistently maxes out the talent available to her.

Collier is the best active WNBA player without a title right now, and winning a championship is going to be her primary objective moving forward. She has every reason to believe she can achieve that at some point on the Lynx.