The Minnesota Lynx entered the playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed. Two games later, they're the first No. 1 seed to lose a playoff series to the No. 8 seed in the WNBA, and suddenly the team's biggest offseason question isn't just hypothetical: Can the Lynx retain Napheesa Collier? A year ago, it would have seemed like an absurd question, but she only signed a one-year deal before this season and is now set to hit free agency after a disappointing playoff exit.
Phee leaving Minnesota has to be a possibility, and while the entire WNBA should be pursuing her, these are the teams that make the most sense.
Golden State Valkyries
For a lot of people, I think the discussion about where Collier goes begins and ends with the Golden State Valkyries. It's a move that basically gives Golden State the perfect player to become championship favorites in 2027.
Golden State is a great defensive team with a flawed offense because the team lacks a true go-to scorer. Gabby Williams did as well as she could in that role this season, but ideally, the team brings someone in who can be the unquestioned alpha on the roster while also not killing the defense. That's why one player who has been mentioned a bit, Kelsey Plum, probably doesn't make sense. She can be that scoring threat, but she'd also risk ruining the thing that makes this team work.
Collier, though, is a very good defender. While you'd probably prefer from a roster-building perspective to add to the backcourt, there is no guard available who comes close to Collier's impact. Maybe the Valkyries end up having to let Kayla Thornton go to make this work, but that'd be a fine sacrifice when you consider that a healthy Collier is a clear top-five player in this league.
Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings have one very big hole on the roster: the frontcourt spot beside Jessica Shepard. Why not add Shepard's former Lynx teammate?
Sure, Collier doesn't necessarily solve the team's rim protection issues, though she does help them a bit there while also giving the team a defender who can handle going up against elite fours. Overall, that's a major win for a team that has to get better defensively if it wants to be a contender.
Figuring out how the offense works is a bigger question. Adding Collier to a roster with Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale could become a "not enough balls to go around" situation, but Collier is too good for you to let that dissuade you. Worst case, if Collier wants to team up with Bueckers and Shepard, is that you say yes and then trade Ogunbowale if you don't think the fit between the two is good.
Let's say the 2027 Wings starting lineup is Shepard, Collier, Bueckers with Azzi Fudd and then a small forward that you add this offseason either via Arike trade or free agency. That has the makings of something, right? The team still needs to improve its backcourt depth, but it's a move that puts Dallas significantly closer to being a true contender.
Houston Comets
The Connecticut Sun are no more, as the team will be moving to Houston and is expected to take over the Comets name. And while the team was pretty bad in 2026, it heads into 2027 with a lot of cap space and what should be a very high lottery pick. A splash move like adding Collier would be huge, and the team could easily find a way to add her along with another big-name player.
This is obviously the tougher path for Collier, as she'd join a team that's essentially a blank slate. Three of the team's four highest-paid players will be free agents, which in theory means the team could go big in its first season in Houston. Imagine re-signing Brittney Griner to a team-friendly deal, signing Collier and Kelsey Plum, and then landing the No. 1 pick in the lottery and drafting JuJu Watkins. That suddenly changes the direction of this franchise.
The good news is that we'll know the draft order by the time free agency opens, so if Collier wanted to do something like this, it'd be possible! The bad news for prospective Comets fans is that you need a very specific set of steps to work if a big move like this is going to happen.
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