Fowles returns, the Lynx trade out of the first round, and more!
The WNBA offseason officially kicks off on January 1st, when teams are allowed to begin extending qualifying offers to restricted and reserved free agents. Beginning January 15th said players will be allowed to negotiate longer-term deals with their teams, and on February 1st, the floodgates of free agency fully open.
The Minnesota Lynx enter the 2022 offseason at a crossroads. The team has over $400,000 in cap space and possess two of the top 13 picks (Nos. 8 and 13) in the upcoming draft; Sylvia Fowles and Layshia Clarendon — key members of the 2021 team — are unrestricted free agents; and Napheesa Collier is expected to miss much, if not all, of the next season due to pregnancy and the subsequent recovery.