2024 Minnesota Lynx season explained

The 2024 Minnesota Lynx season is the 26th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the fifteenth season under head coach Cheryl Reeve.

The season tipped-off on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Seattle against the Seattle Storm.^[1]

The Lynx went 4-1 in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup Western Conference standings, and clinched a spot in the Cup Final against the New York Liberty on June 13, 2024.^[2] This is the first time in the Lynx history that they represented the Western Conference in the Cup, since it started in 2021. Napheesa Collier was named MVP of the 2024 WNBA Commissioner's Cup Final, as the Lynx defeated the Liberty 94-89.^[3]

Transactions

WNBA draft

See also: 2024 WNBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/Team/Country
1	8	Alissa Pili		Utah
3	31	Kiki Jefferson		Louisville

Transactions

Date	Transaction
December 11, 2023	Renounced the rights to Anna Cruz and Kelsey Griffin^[4]
January 12, 2024	Extended a Qualifying Offer to Nikolina Milić
January 31, 2024	Acquired Natisha Hiedeman in exchange for Tiffany Mitchell and the 19th pick in the 2024 draft^[5]
	Suspended Jessica Shepard for the season due to Prioritization Rules^[6]
February 1, 2024	Signed Courtney Williams^[7]
	Signed Alanna Smith
	Re-signed Bridget Carleton
February 2, 2024	Signed Elizabeth Dixon to a Training Camp Contract^[8]
	Signed Kayana Traylor to a Training Camp Contract
February 6, 2024	Signed Taylor Soule to a Training Camp Contract^[9]
February 13, 2024	Signed Jaime Nared to a Training Camp Contract^[10]
February 16, 2024	Signed Ruthy Hebard to a Training Camp Contract^[11]
March 4, 2024	Signed Olivia Époupa to a Training Camp Contract^[12]
April 14, 2024	Acquired Sika Koné, the eighth pick in the 2024 draft, the Chicago Sky's 2025 second round pick, and the rights to swap first round picks with Chicago in the 2026 draft in exchange for the seventh pick in the 2024 draft and Nikolina Milić.^[13]
April 19, 2024	Signed Cecilia Zandalasini to a Training Camp Contract^[14]
	Waived Elizabeth Dixon
April 23, 2024	Signed Camryn Taylor to a Training Camp Contract^[15]
	Signed Mimi Collins to a Training Camp Contract
	Signed Quinesha Lockett to a Training Camp Contract
May 5, 2024	Waived Mimi Collins and Jaime Nared^[16]
May 9, 2024	Waived Ruthy Hebard, Kiki Jefferson, and Quinesha Lockett^[17]
May 11, 2024	Waived Camryn Taylor and Kayana Traylor^[18]
May 13, 2024
May 24, 2024	Activated Dorka Juhász^[19]
	Waived Taylor Soule
August 20, 2024	Minnesota acquired Myisha Hines-Allen from the Washington Mystics in exchange for Olivia Époupa, Sika Koné, and a 2026 second round pick.^[20]

Roster changes

Additions

Personnel	Signed/Trade	Former Team
Olivia Époupa	Signed	—
Natisha Hiedeman	Trade	Connecticut Sun
Myisha Hines-Allen	Trade	Washington Mystics
Kiki Jefferson	Draft	Louisville
Sika Koné	Trade	Chicago Sky
Alissa Pili	Draft	Utah
Alanna Smith	Signed	Chicago Sky
Taylor Soule	Signed	Chicago Sky
Courtney Williams	Signed	Chicago Sky
Cecilia Zandalasini	Signed	—

Subtractions

Personnel	Reason	New Team
Lindsay Allen	Free Agency	Chicago Sky
Rachel Banham	Free Agency	Connecticut Sun
Olivia Époupa	Trade	Washington Mystics
Sika Koné	Trade	Washington Mystics
Nikolina Milić	Trade	Chicago Sky
Kiki Jefferson	Waived	–
Tiffany Mitchell	Trade	Connecticut Sun
Aerial Powers	Free Agency	Atlanta Dream
Jessica Shepard	Prioritization Rules	—
Taylor Soule	Waived	—

Roster

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench
	PG	Courtney Williams	Natisha Hiedeman
	SG	Kayla McBride	Diamond Miller
	SF	Bridget Carleton	Cecilia Zandalasini
	PF	Napheesa Collier	Myisha Hines-Allen Alissa Pili
	C	Alanna Smith	Dorka Juhász

Schedule

Pre-season

|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 1| May 3| Chicago| W 92–81| Collier, Williams (17)| Époupa, Traylor (5)| Natisha Hiedeman (6)| Target Center
7,010| 1–0|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 2| May 8| @ Washington| W 83–77| Napheesa Collier (15)| Napheesa Collier (7) | Courtney Williams (6)| Entertainment and Sports Arena
4,112| 2–0

Regular season

|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 1| May 14| @ Seattle| W 83–70| Alanna Smith (22)| Napheesa Collier (12)| Courtney Williams (7)| Climate Pledge Arena
8,508| 1–0|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 2| May 17| Seattle| W 102–93 (2OT)| Napheesa Collier (29)| Napheesa Collier (9)| Natisha Hiedeman (7)| Target Center
7,208| 2–0|- style="background:#fcc;"| 3| May 23| @ Connecticut| L 82–83 (OT)| Napheesa Collier (31)| Napheesa Collier (11)| Courtney Williams (6)| Mohegan Sun Arena
6,152| 2–1|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 4| May 25| New York| W 84–67| Smith, Collier (15)| Napheesa Collier (12)| McBride, Williams (5)| Target Center
7,010| 3–1|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 5| May 26| @ Atlanta| W 92–79| Kayla McBride (31)| Napheesa Collier (8)| Napheesa Collier (7)| Gateway Center Arena
3,265| 4–1|- style="background:#fcc;"| 6| May 29| Las Vegas| L 66–80| Napheesa Collier (18)| Napheesa Collier (13)| Courtney Williams (8)| Target Center
7,409| 4–2|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 7| May 31| Phoenix| W 95–71| Alissa Pili (20)| Napheesa Collier (11)| Hiedeman, Williams (5)| Target Center
7,035| 5–2

|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 8| June 2| Dallas| W 87–76| Kayla McBride (25)| Napheesa Collier (14)| Carleton, Collier, McBride (4)| Target Center
7,024| 6–2|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 9| June 5| @ Los Angeles| W 86–62| Napheesa Collier (25)| Napheesa Collier (9)| Hiedeman, Smith, Williams (4)| Crypto.com Arena
8,104| 7–2|- style="background:#fcc;"| 10| June 7| @ Phoenix| L 80–81| Kayla McBride (25)| Napheesa Collier (12)| Collier, Smith (6)| Footprint Center
9,052| 7–3|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 11| June 9| Seattle| W 83–64| Kayla McBride (32)| Napheesa Collier (14)| Époupa, Smith (7)| Target Center
7,121| 8–3|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 12| June 11| @ Las Vegas| W 100–86| Alanna Smith (18)| Napheesa Collier (6)| Courtney Williams (9)| Michelob Ultra Arena
10,368| 9–3|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 13| June 14| Los Angeles| W 81–76| Napheesa Collier (30)| Courtney Williams (8)| Courtney Williams (10)| Target Center
8,117| 10–3|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 14| June 17| Dallas| W 90–78| Kayla McBride (19)| Alanna Smith (9)| Kayla McBride (7)| Target Center
8,314| 11–3|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 15| June 19| Atlanta| W 68–55| Napheesa Collier (16)| Dorka Juhász (11)| Courtney Williams (6)| Target Center
8,206| 12–3|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 16| June 22| Phoenix| W 73–60| Napheesa Collier (23)| Napheesa Collier (14)| Alanna Smith (5)| Target Center
8,769| 13–3|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| Commissioner's
Cup Final| June 25| New York| W 94–89| Bridget Carleton (23)| Collier, Smith (6)| Courtney Williams (8)| UBS Arena
7,015| —|- style="background:#fcc;"| 17| June 27| @ Dallas| L 88–94| Napheesa Collier (29)| Napheesa Collier (11)| Carleton, Collier, McBride,
Smith, Williams (4)| College Park Center
6,251| 13–4|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 18| June 30| @ Chicago| W 70–62| Kayla McBride (16)| Napheesa Collier (11)| Napheesa Collier (6)| Wintrust Arena
9,025| 14–4|- style="background:#fcc;"| 19| July 2| @ New York| L 67–76| Kayla McBride (17)| Napheesa Collier (10)| Collier, Smith (6)| Barclays Center
10,846| 14–5|- style="background:#fcc;"| 20| July 4| Connecticut| L 73–78| Alanna Smith (14)| Kayla McBride (8)| Courtney Williams (6)| Target Center
7,508| 14–6|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 21| July 6| Washington| W 74–67| McBride, Williams (17)| Dorka Juhász (11)| Courtney Williams (7)| Target Center
7,610| 15–6|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 22| July 9| @ Los Angeles| W 82–67| Bridget Carleton (16)| Juhász, Smith (6)| Courtney Williams (5)| Crypto.com Arena
9,533| 16-6|- style="background:#fcc;"| 23| July 12| @ Seattle| L 63–91| Kayla McBride (27)| Dorka Juhász (7)| Alanna Smith (5)| Climate Pledge Arena
8,320| 16–7|- style="background:#fcc;"| 24| July 14| Indiana| L 74–81| Alanna Smith (18)| Alanna Smith (8)| Courtney Williams (7)| Target Center
18,978| 16–8|- style="background:#bbffbb;" | 25| July 17| Atlanta| W 86–79| Kayla McBride (30)| Alanna Smith (10)| Courtney Williams (9)| Target Center
15,013| 17–8|- style="background:#bbffbb;" | 26| August 15| Washington| W 79–68| Napheesa Collier (17)| Napheesa Collier (12)| Courtney Williams (5)| Target Center
7,224| 18–8 |- style="background:#bbffbb;" | 27| August 17| @ Washington| W 99–83| Napheesa Collier (30)| Smith, Williams (7)| Natisha Hiedeman (6)| Entertainment and Sports Arena
4,200| 19–8 |- style="background:#bbffbb;" | 28| August 21| @ Las Vegas| W 98–87| Napheesa Collier (23)| Collier, Williams (7)| Courtney Williams (10)| Michelob Ultra Arena
10,429| 20–8 |- | 29| August 23| Las Vegas| | | | | Target Center
| |- | 30| August 24| Indiana| | | | | Target Center
| |- | 31| August 28| @ Phoenix| | | | | Footprint Center
| |- | 32| August 30| @ Dallas| | | | | College Park Center
| |- | 33| September 1| Chicago| | | | | Target Center
| |- | 34| September 6| @ Indiana| | | | | Gainbridge Fieldhouse
| |- | 35| September 8| @ Washington| | | | | Entertainment and Sports Arena
| |- | 36| September 10| @ Atlanta| | | | | Gateway Center Arena
| |- | 37| September 13| Chicago| | | | | Target Center
| |- | 38| September 15| @ New York| | | | | Barclays Center
| |- | 39| September 17| @ Connecticut| | | | | Mohegan Sun Arena
| |- | 40| September 19| Los Angeles| | | | | Target Center
|

Statistics

Regular Season

^‡Waived/Released during the season
^†Traded during the season
^≠Acquired during the season

Awards and honors

Recipient	Award/Milestone	Date Awarded	Reference
Napheesa Collier	Western Conference Player of the Week	May 21, 2024	^[21]
	WNBA All-Star	July 2, 2024	^[22]
Cheryl Reeve	WNBA Coach of the Month - June	July 2, 2024	^[23]
Kayla McBride	WNBA All-Star	July 2, 2024

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2024 Schedule - Minneosta Lynx. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. March 1, 2024.
2. Web site: Lynx Will Represent the Western Conference in Commissioner’s Cup Final . lynx.wnba.com . WNBA . 26 June 2024.
3. Web site: Lynx vs. Liberty Boxscore . wnba.com . WNBA . 26 June 2024.
4. Web site: WNBA Transactions . acrossthetimeline.com . Across The Timeline . 20 April 2024.
5. Web site: Lynx send Tiffany Mitchell, pick to Sun for Natisha Hiedeman. ESPN. Michael Voepel. January 31, 2024. March 1, 2024.
6. Web site: Jessica Shepard to Miss 2024 Season . lynx.wnba.com . WNBA . 20 April 2024.
7. Web site: Minnesota Signs Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2024. March 1, 2024.
8. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Sign Kayana Traylor and Elizabeth Dixon to Training Camp Contracts. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. February 2, 2024. March 1, 2024.
9. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Sign Taylor Soule to Training Camp Contract. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. February 6, 2024. March 1, 2024.
10. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Sign Jaime Nared to Training Camp Contract. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. February 13, 2024. March 1, 2024.
11. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Sign Ruthy Hebard to Training Camp Contract. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. February 16, 2024. March 1, 2024.
12. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Sign Olivia Époupa to Training Camp Contract. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. March 4, 2024. March 4, 2024.
13. Web site: Sky swap 2024 WNBA draft picks, prospects with Lynx in trade. ESPN. Field Level Media. April 14, 2024. April 14, 2024.
14. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Sign Cecilia Zandalasini . lynx.wnba.com . WNBA . 20 April 2024.
15. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Sign Camryn Taylor, Mimi Collins and Quinesha Lockett to Training Camp Contracts. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. April 23, 2024. 24 April 2024.
16. Web site: Lynx Waive Mimi Collins and Jaime Nared. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. May 5, 2024. May 5, 2024.
17. Web site: Lynx Waive Hebard, Jefferson and Lockett . lynx.wnba.com . WNBA . 11 May 2024.
18. Web site: Lynx Waive Traylor and Taylor . lynx.wnba.com . . May 11, 2024 . 11 May 2024.
19. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Activate Dorka Juhász. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. May 24, 2024 . May 25, 2024.
20. Web site: Lynx acquire forward Myisha Hines-Allen from Mystics. espn.com. Field Level Media. August 20, 2024. August 20, 2024.
21. Web site: Lynx Forward Napheesa Collier Named Western Conference Player of the Week. lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. May 21, 2024. May 21, 2024.
22. Rosters Set for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2024 on July 20 . WNBA . July 2, 2024.
23. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Named WNBA Coach of the Month . . July 2, 2024.