Crashing out in the first round of the playoffs has been a tough pill to swallow for Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier after what had been an outstanding regular season for the franchise. Collier has been with the Lynx for eight seasons. Despite many close calls, she’s yet to win a title, and now free agency looms. Naturally, there is speculation around her next move.
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However, Collier clarified that she is yet to decide exactly which direction she will go. Per Front Office Sports’ Colin Salao, the former Defensive Player of the Year is yet to even process the loss.
“I haven’t even thought about that. We lost less than 48 hours ago, and I don’t think, we didn’t expect to be here. So I really haven’t had any time to decompress or anything like that.”
“I can tell you, I love it here. I love the organization. I love it here. I love the organization. But I just haven’t had the time to give it any thought,” Salao posted on X.
Following her second straight MVP runner-up campaign in 2025, Collier signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract extension with the Lynx. During that time, Collier was also in the process of recovery after she suffered an ankle injury in last season’s playoffs.
Regardless, the Lynx actually did very well in Collier’s absence during the first half, thanks to rookie Olivia Miles, Natasha Howard, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams at the helm for head coach Cheryl Reeve.
Upon her arrival, Collier played 16 games, averaging 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 50.0 % shooting from the field, 44.4% from the three-point line, and 85.7% from the charity stripe. Things were going quite smoothly for the Lynx until the playoffs happened.
Collier stating she and the Lynx “didn’t expect to be here” makes sense, considering how they were the top seed in the regular season with a 33-11 record. With such a record, facing the eighth seed was supposed to be advantageous on paper for head coach Cheryl Reeve’s side, but that was not the case, to say the least.
However, the Lynx had to face the ghosts of their past. The New York Liberty, who beat them 3-2 in the 2024 WNBA Finals. Head coach Chris DeMarco had Cheryl Reeve’s number this season, as the Liberty had already won two games in the regular season against the Lynx.
The postseason brought out the veteran-heavy side’s absolute best, as Napheesa Collier, Olivia Miles, and co. had no answers for Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu. The Liberty swept the Lynx, marking the first time in WNBA history that an eighth-seeded team has swept a top-seeded team in the opening series.
If Collier does decide to leave, she may have a hard time finding elite teammates like Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles and the veteran trio of McBride, Howard, and Williams.
Free agency is not the only thing Collier has to worry about in the offseason. With long-time WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike retired, that position is now to be filled. With Collier elected as the players’ union’s First Vice-President in June, she has the opportunity to replace Ogwumike. Collier had a response to this question, as Salao revealed.
“That is another thing that I haven’t really thought about, just because obviously you’re just so focused on the season when it’s happening. And I think that’s something that we’re going to have to talk about as a union.”
“We haven’t had any talks of an election or anything like that, so that’s something I’m going to have to sit down and think about. And so I don’t know what the future holds.”
Safe to say, Napheesa Collier will be having a busy offseason both on and off the court in the coming months.