Last month, I wrote that Napheesa Collier deserved the WNBA’s new $1.4 million supermax contract because she is the heart and soul of the Minnesota Lynx.
The Lynx already knew that, which is why they made Collier the third supermax player on Thursday. The Indiana Fever previously signed All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell, and A’ja Wilson signed the richest contract in WNBA history on Wednesday.
According to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Collier will sign a one-year, $1.4 million supermax.
The WNBA and WNBPA reached a historic collective bargaining agreement last month that drastically increased the supermax, the overall league salary cap, and the average player salary (via ESPN).
It’s not all good news, however.
“Collier will be an unrestricted free agent — and, under the new collective bargaining agreement, unable to be ‘cored’ — in 2027,” Andrews wrote. “A core qualifying offer is akin to the NFL’s franchise tag.”
That’s a problem for another day. Now, the Collier and the Lynx can fully focus on getting over the hump in 2026.
Minnesota is seeking its first WNBA title since 2017. Collier and the Lynx reached the 2024 WNBA Finals but lost in five games to the New York Liberty.
Last season, the Lynx finished with a league-best 34-10 record but were ousted by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA semifinals. Collier suffered a Grade 2 tear in three ankle ligaments and a shin muscle in Game 3, and Phoenix closed out the series two days later.
Collier is working her way back from offseason surgery to repair torn ligaments in both ankles. On New Year’s Day, Andrews relayed that Collier’s recovery was expected to take four to six months. The Lynx open their season against the Atlanta Dream on May 10.
The Lynx drafted Collier sixth overall out of UConn in 2019. She won WNBA Rookie of the Year and has become a five-time All-Star, four-time All-WNBA, and four-time All-Defensive forward. Collier won the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year and was in the MVP conversation last season before injuries derailed her.