Courtney Williams, Natasha Howard, McBride Reportedly Sign Lynx Contracts, Updated Roster amid FA

The Minnesota Lynx finally got some good news Sunday.

ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported the team agreed to a two-year, $2.4 million contract with guard Courtney Williams. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN followed up to report guard Kayla McBride is also sticking around on a two-year deal, while forward Natasha Howard is signing for two years.

The state of the Lynx's offseason so far can be summed up by the fact this is group of players they have under contract for 2026:

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

And in the case of Napheesa Collier, they've yet to officially re-sign her after utilizing the core designation.

The Lynx knew they were in a tight spot. They had three players signed to rookie deals, and the veterans hitting the open market were almost all unrestricted free agents.

Especially in a league with a hard salary cap, Minnesota simply couldn't afford to keep everybody. The team has watched co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard and Natisha Hiedeman all sign elsewhere. The Portland Fire also selected Bridget Carleton in the expansion draft.

As long as Collier is around, the Lynx will have their sights squarely on a championship. Re-signing Williams and McBride represents a start toward making that happen in 2026.

Williams was an All-Star for the second time last season. She averaged 13.6 points on 42.8 percent shooting, including 38.9 percent from beyond the arc. She also dished out a team-high 6.2 assists per game.

The 31-year-old can be a streaky scorer. She had nine games with 20-plus points and 11 outings in which she scored in single digits in 2025. In one win over the Connecticut Sun, she shot 0-of-11.

Williams' ability to create her own offense can be invaluable in the postseason, though. When the pace slows down and defenses focus their attention on Collier, the 5'8" guard can turn nothing into something.

McBride was also an All-Star in 2025, her second in Minnesota and fifth overall. She shot 39.5 percent from beyond the arc and averaged 14.2 points.

The 33-year-old knocked down 103 three-pointers overall to lead the team. To underscore how important she was to retain, Carleton was second on the Lynx in made threes and had 40 fewer.

Losing both Carleton and McBride would've been devastating to Minnesota's floor-spacing.

Head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve still has a lot of work ahead in terms of bolstering the roster. At least the squad is closer to completion with Williams and McBride's return.