The Minnesota Lynx signed veteran guard Aari McDonald ahead of the WNBA playoffs and waived rookie Eliška Joklová to open a roster spot.
Aari McDonald signed a rest-of-season hardship contract with the Minnesota Lynx on Monday. The team waived guard Eliška Joklová to clear the roster spot.
McDonald had not played a WNBA game since Aug. 7, 2025. She broke a bone in her right foot that night in Indiana's loss at Phoenix, had surgery, and missed the rest of the season. She entered 2026 as an unrestricted free agent and went unsigned through training camp and the first four months of the schedule.
Over 20 games with the Fever, 13 of them starts, McDonald averaged 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. She shot a career-high 42.9% from the field. She played 26.3 minutes a night and averaged 1.3 steals.
Indiana signed her to a hardship contract in early June 2025. Fever coach Stephanie White said at the time that McDonald was a true point guard who could dictate a game.
"I have always been impressed with her ability to defend," White said.
The Fever waived McDonald less than two weeks later. She was back on a rest-of-season contract by late June, with Caitlin Clark out with a groin injury.
Her career high came against Phoenix on July 30, 2025. McDonald scored 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting. She went 10-of-10 from the free throw line and added four assists and two steals in a 107-101 Indiana win.
Aari McDonald Returns After Long Injury Layoff
McDonald signed with Breeze BC for Unrivaled's second season and lasted six minutes of the Jan. 5 opener, a 69-62 win over Vinyl BC, before leaving in the third quarter. She finished with two points and one rebound.
Unrivaled ruled her out for the rest of the season on Feb. 9 with a right lower extremity injury.
She posted on X that afternoon that she had been trying to get back before the Unrivaled season ended.
"I'm locked in on my return, which will be very soon," McDonald wrote.
Training camp opened in April without her. McDonald said then that she would not be in camp but would play this season.
Atlanta drafted McDonald third overall in 2021, and she made the All-Rookie Team that same year. She spent three seasons with the Dream, including part of the 2023 team that reached the postseason for the first time since 2018.
Before the 2025 season, Los Angeles waived her.
In 136 games, with 42 starts, McDonald has averaged 8.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 39.5% from the field.
McDonald played for the Perth Lynx in the WNBL during 2023-24, leading the league with an average of 19.8 points per game. Perth advanced to the Grand Final. She then spent the 2024-25 season in China and signed with Melikgazi Kayseri Basketbol of the Turkish KBSL for 2026-27.
She began her college career at Washington and transferred to Arizona. Three seasons with the Wildcats produced the program's first Final Four and its first national championship game, both in 2021.
McDonald received the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award in 2020. She was Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2021 and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021.
Minnesota Lynx Add Backcourt Depth Before Playoffs
Minnesota is 31-9. Four games remain, and no team in the league has a better record.
Olivia Miles, the second overall pick in April's draft, is averaging 19.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on 49.5% shooting and 39.6% from 3-point range.
Miles was named Rookie of the Month for July. August made it four in a row. She passed Seimone Augustus' franchise single-season rookie scoring record of 749 points on Aug. 30 at Atlanta.
Courtney Williams starts next to her. Maya Caldwell has had the backup guard minutes.
Napheesa Collier returned to the Lynx in July after missing the first 10 weeks of the season following surgery on both ankles.
Collier is in Berlin on the 12-player United States roster for the FIBA World Cup. Miles was not selected.
Joklová signed her rookie contract on April 12 and made the opening-night roster. The Lynx waived her May 25 and brought her back three days later on a player development contract.
Three seven-day deals followed in July. She signed for the rest of the season on Aug. 2.
Her 21 games produced 1.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 5.3 minutes.
Joklová is at the World Cup with the Czech national team and scored 18 points in Sunday's 74-70 loss to China.
Minnesota has not played since Aug. 30 and does not play again until Sept. 18, when New York visits Target Center.
