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Courtney Williams was ecstatic after looking at the numbers of the new CBA last month. “We finna be millionaires, bruh. The first millionaires in our families,” the stud of the Studbudz said on stream. Technically, Williams was already a millionaire with career earnings listed at $1.1 million over the 9 years. Earnings from the streams and brand deals made that number bigger. But you will get what she meant after learning what her latest deals give her.
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The Minnesota Lynx and Williams suffered a heartbreaking end to the 2025 season after Napheesa Collier limped out in tears of their Game 3 against the Mercury. They were defeated by Phoenix after spending the majority of the regular season at the very top and finishing with a 34-10 record. Now, heading into the 2026 season, they are reloading with three returnees, including one from 2017.
The Minnesota Lynx have retained Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride while bringing in Natasha Howard from the Indiana Fever. Williams is a no-brainer, as she was one of the top scorers for the Lynx last season. She averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds while playing point guard under Cheryl Reeve. According to Alexa Phillippou, Williams has signed a two-year max contract to return to the Minnesota Lynx, where she will earn $2.4 million over two years.
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“Courtney has been such a special part of the Lynx for the last two seasons,” Cheryl Reeve said in the announcement. “The passion and joy she plays with elevates our team to great heights and we look forward to continuing our relationship in the coming years.”
The Lynx have also re-signed Kayla Mcbride on the same deal, per Richard Cohen. McBride was the second highest scorer last year, averaging 14.2 points and 3.2 assists while shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc on 6.9 attempts per game. She was the ultimate spacing weapon that helped Collier create space inside.
Along with these two returnees, the Lynx have brought in Natasha Howard, who brings another dimension to their offense. She had a rather underwhelming year at Fever. While Howard was impactful, she averaged 11.4 points on 55.3% shooting from the floor, along with 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
For context, she averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds at Dallas in 2024. She returns to Minnesota after winning the title with the franchise in 2017. She has played under Reeve for two seasons, and that familiarity will help Howard settle into this change.
“We are happy to be bringing Tasha home to the Minnesota Lynx. She has earned some impressive accolades since her time with the Lynx, and we look forward to adding her versatile offensive skillset and defensive proficiency to our team,” Reeve said.
The Lynx still need Collier to resign after they gave her the core designation. However, Collier’s return from dual ankle surgeries could slightly mute her impact this season. She could return late June at the latest. So, Courtney Williams, Howard and McBride could be their offense for most of the season. The Lynx have done well to retain some of their core and bring in proven talent.However, those additions haven’t come without significant losses elsewhere.
Minnesota Lynx Bleeds Superstars As Their Latest Signing Raises Questions
It’s a confusing time for the Lynx. They have lost DiJonai Carrington to the Chicago Sky, Bridget Carleton to Portland and Allanna Smith to the Wings. Even Jessica Shepherd left for the Wings and Natisha Hiedeman for the Storm. That is a lot of players to lose if a team wants to contend for the title. But as they bled stars, the team tried to counter the losses with signings of their own.
The Lynx have signed Nia Coffey as a free agent. Coffey was a role player for the Dream over the last four years. Last year, the forward averaged 3.4 points on 37.4% shooting from the floor, along with 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. It is very likely she comes off the bench and makes an impact as a substitute. But what is more eye-catching is her contract with the Lynx.
According to Richard Cohen, Coffey signed on a “two-year, protected, $350,000/$367,500″ contract. That is above the veteran minimum, and the fact that it’s protected is rather more questionable. For context, the Portland Fire signed Haley Jones on a one-year, protected, $300,000 deal. Jones, who played for the WIngs last year, averaged a career high of 8.1 points, 2.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds.
While that is only 5% of the salary cap, the fact that it is guaranteed and for two years changes things. It means they will have to pay Coffey if they decide to waive her in the future, which means that portion of money is blocked on a player who is very unlikely to contribute significantly.
Or, on the flip side, they believe Coffey can improve by leaps and bounds in Minnesota. She did drop that 18-point, 11-rebound double-double against Connecticut last season, including 6 performances in double digits. They do have Courtney Williams at point and Natasha Howard along with McBride. who can elevate her game. It seems like a risky gamble from Minnesota but only time will tell how it will turn out.
