Napheesa Collier, Olivia Miles Partnership Gives Lynx Reason to Pursue Reunion

Minnesota should not treat Napheesa Collier’s exit as a foregone conclusion, The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant wrote in her Nov. 10 analysis of every WNBA team’s offseason priority. Keeping Collier is the first item on her list for the Lynx.

Merchant acknowledged that the language from Minnesota’s exit interviews, specifically from Cheryl Reeve and Collier, suggests the two-time MVP runner-up is moving on. Her case for keeping Collier runs through Olivia Miles.

Even as the No. 1 seed, the Lynx had untapped upside because Miles and Collier “never got on the same page as a partnership,” Merchant wrote. With an offseason and a training camp together, she wrote, their pick-and-roll could reach new levels in 2027.

That No. 1 seed came with a 33-11 record, the best in the league. No. 8 New York swept the Lynx in the first round.

Free agency was not something Collier had even thought about yet when she did her exit interview.

“So I really haven’t had any time to decompress or anything like that,” Collier said. “I can tell you that I love it here.”

Reeve won her fifth Coach of the Year award in September, and she is also Minnesota’s president of basketball operations.

“Whatever she decides, we’re both going to be OK,” Reeve said. “What Phee has given this franchise, we’re super proud of. And we’re super proud of the work we’ve poured into her. If she lands on being here, great. And if there’s something better for her, that’s life.”

Surgery on both ankles kept Collier out until just before the All-Star break. She played 16 games and averaged 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, shooting 50% overall and 44.4% from 3-point range, CBS Sports reported.

The Lynx used the core designation on her in April. The collective bargaining agreement reached in March ends core eligibility at seven years of service, so the Lynx cannot core her again.

Every Rookie of the Year vote went to Miles, whom Minnesota took out of TCU with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft. No WNBA rookie had ever scored more in a season than she did this year, when she put up 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists a game. She started every time she played, 40 games in all, and a calf injury kept her out of the last two games of the regular season.

Back on June 4, in her 10th career game, Miles made eight 3-pointers against Golden State to break Caitlin Clark’s single-game rookie record. She was the only rookie selected for the All-Star Game, and she started it.

Minnesota is still the best basketball fit for Collier, Merchant wrote, “unless she wants to join the champions in Golden State.”

CBS Sports had Collier as the most natural fit on the market for the Valkyries, who have $3.2 million guaranteed for 2027. The league’s salary cap sat at $7 million in 2026.

Her Hoop Stats also lists Aari McDonald, who is unrestricted, and Maya Caldwell, who is restricted, among Minnesota’s free agents. Teams can start negotiating with free agents Feb. 4, and signings can begin Feb. 16.