Naphessa Collier reportedly returning to Minnesota Lynx in free agency

Naphessa Collier reportedly returning to Minnesota Lynx in free agency

Napheesa Collier reportedly agreed to terms with the Minnesota Lynx on a one-year, $1.4 million contract, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.

Collier returns to Minnesota with championship aspirations, after the team flamed out of the semifinals last fall despite being the No. 1 team all season.

The supermax contract comes after Collier, as one of the vice presidents of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, helped negotiate the new collective bargaining agreement. She was outspoken at the end of last season, calling out the WNBA and commissioner Cathy Engelbert for failing to address issues such as compensation, officiating and the state of overall play during her exit interview. She received support from players across the league. She is also a co-founder of Unrivaled, along with Breanna Stewart, which has given players a stateside option for offseason play to supplement their WNBA salaries.

As Collier has fought for higher salaries over the last year, she continues to be one of the best players in the league. She averaged 22.9 points per game last season, which ranked second behind Aces star A’ja Wilson. Collier is also a five-time WNBA All-Star, a four-time All-WNBA selection and has won both Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

Collier is expected to miss the start of the season after undergoing ankle surgery on both ankles following injuries suffered in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against the Mercury.

Collier was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft out of UConn.