Welcome to a new week and a new Lynx Offseason Update!
With a new, historic Collective Bargaining Agreement now in place and the WNBA season taking place as planned, action begins in a month-long offseason with the WNBA’s Expansion Draft on Friday before free agency kicks off.
In the meantime, the offseason has continued for multiple Minnesota Lynx players — and already ended for a few — worldwide as they prepare for the upcoming WNBA season. underway in Istanbul.
This offseason, there are 12 Lynx players playing across the globe, those players being Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, Natisha Hiedeman, Kayla McBride, Bridget Carlton, Jessica Shepard, Maia Hirsch, Dorka Juhász, Maria Kliundikova, Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, Camryn Taylor and Jaylyn Sherrod. Napheesa Collier, who was supposed to take part in Unrivaled, missed the season due to having surgery on both ankles.
Let’s take a look at where those Lynx players are playing, how they’ve done as of late, how they are performing so far this offseason or how they finished their offseason.
Bridget Carleton — USK Praha (Czech Republic), Canada (World Cup Qualifying)
Carleton has spent her offseason with USK Praha in the Czech Republic this offseason, but take a bit of a break to represent her home country of Canada during the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul before returning to the Czech Republic where she is currently.
Over the past week, Carleton and USK Praha opened up the Czech Republic-ZBL playoffs, blowing by Hradec Kralove with Carleton having a strong offensive outing and performance from deep.
Season Stats:
World Cup Qualifying: 5 games — 13.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Czech Republic-ZBL: 16 games — 12.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
EuroLeague: 11 games — 12.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Recent Games:
March 25 vs. KP Bmo (98-74 win): nine points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3Pt), four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block over 23 minutes
March 27 vs. Hradec Kralove (122-58 win): 23 points (8-11 FG, 6-8 3Pt), three rebounds and one assist over 21 minutes
Jessica Shepard — Famila Schio (Italy)
Shepard is in a new country this offseason after spending last offseason in Greece, taking the court with Italian power Famila Schio. She has played in Greece, Israel and Italy so far in her career.
Shepard has put up some impressive numbers in Italy this offseason, once again being a double-double machine like we’ve been accustomed to seeing. Over the past week, Shepard had a near double-double in Italy-Serie A1 postseason action.
Season Stats:
Italy-Serie A1: 19 games — 17.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG
EuroLeague: 15 games — 17.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG
Recent Games:
March 25 vs. Broni (77-57 win): 13 points (6-10 FG), eight rebounds, two steals and one assist over 27 minutes
Maria Kliundikova — UMMC Ekateringburg (Russia)
Kliundiokva, who was a midseason arrival for Minnesota and ended up with a nice role off the bench for the Lynx, is back in her home country of Russia this offseason playing for UMMC Ekateringburg alongside soon-to-be second-year Lynx forward Anastasiia Olairi Kosu.
Kliundikova has put together a balanced offseason so far, helping her squad offensively and on the boards while also impacting other areas of the game. Over the past week, Kliundikova finished with a near double-double as UMMC Ekateringburg advanced to the semifinals round of the Russia-PBL playoffs.
Season Stats:
Russia-PBL: 23 games — 12.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Recent Games:
March 25 vs. Enisey (83-62 win): 12 points (4-7 FG), nine rebounds, two assists and two steals over 25 minutes
Dorka Juhász — Galatasaray (Turkey), Hungary (World Cup Qualifying)
Juhász has spent her WNBA offseason playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, taking a break from that to represent her home country of Hungary in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul before returning to Turkey.
Over the past week, Juhász had a bit of a quiet week though Galatasaray still advanced to the Turkey-KBSL final to face off against Fenerbahçe.
Season Stats:
World Cup Qualifying: 5 games — 18.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.0 APG, 0.8 SPG
Turkey-KBSL: 17 games — 10.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.6 BPG
EuroLeague: 17 games — 13.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Recent Games:
March 24 vs. Emlak (82-74 win): eight points (3-4 FG), one rebound, one assist and one steal over 17 minutes
March 26 vs. Emlak (85-76 win): seven points (3-12 FG, 0-2 3Pt), six rebounds, three assists and three steals over 18 minutes
March 29 vs. Fenerbahce (85-70 loss): four points (2-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist over 18 minutes
Anastasiia Olairi Kosu — UMMC Ekateringburg (Russia)
Kosu is back home in Russia this offseason, playing with fellow Lynx teammate Maria Kliundikova with UMMC Ekateringburg.
Kosu, who Minnesota is hoping continues to develop leading into her second WNBA campaign, has gotten off to a nice start in Russia this offseason. Over the past week, Kosu contributed in the paint as UMMC Ekateringburg advanced to the semifinals round of the Russia-PBL playoffs.
Season Stats:
Russia-PBL: 20 games — 10.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 BPG
Recent Games:
March 25 vs. Enisey (83-62 win): six points (1-1 FG), two rebounds and one block over 11 minutes
Maia Hirsch — Charleville-Mezieres (France)
We have yet to see Hirsch in the WNBA after being drafted by the Lynx in the first round of the 2023 WNBA Draft, but she continues to play in France this offseason as she continues to develop.
After an up-and-down offseason last year, Hirsch is off to a nice start to this offseason with some additional time on the floor as well. Over the past week, Hirsch had two double-digit outing for Charleville-Mezieres leading up to postseason play beginning the first full week of April.
Season Stats:
Franco-BWL: 19 games — 7.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
EuroLeague: 10 games — 5.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Recent Games:
March 24 vs. La Roche (85-70 win): 11 points (5-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt), seven rebounds and two assists over 22 minutes
March 28 vs. Villeneuve (84-51 win): 10 points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt), two rebounds and one steal over 25 minutes
Camryn Taylor — Landerneau (France)
Taylor, who joined the Lynx late in the 2025 WNBA season and was part of the playoff run, has moved from Greece last offseason to France and Landerneau Bretagne Basket this year.
Taylor had a slow start to the offseason schedule, but has picked things up as of late with two straight double-digit outings. Over the past week, Taylor had to solid outings for Landerneau as the squad now gets ready for postseason play the first full week of April.
Season Stats:
France-BWL: 11 games — 5.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.2 SPG, 0.1 APG, 0.1 BPG
Recent Games:
March 24 vs. Toulouse (72-63 win): five points (2-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt) over 15 minutes
March 27 vs. Chamay (69-67 win): seven points (2-5 FG) and six rebounds over 12 minutes
Kayla McBride — Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
McBride is back at her second home in Turkey while returning to play for Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe. Though some expected her to return to play in Unrivaled this offseason, McBride chose to start the offseason overseas with a team that is special to her.
McBride began her season overseas strong, providing a two-way showing for the Turkish powerhouse. Since she last took the court in early March, McBride has returned to the states and has been working out at the Lynx facility over the past few weeks. It’s not known at this time whether or not she plans to return to Turkey or will remain in the country leading up to the WNBA season.
Season Stats:
Turkey-KBSL: 16 games — 13.0 PPG, 4.9 APG, 4.2 RPG, 0.9 SPG
EuroLeague: 10 games — 14.1 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.7 SPG
Recent Games:
March 3 vs. Kayseri (95-59 win): seven points (2-6 FG, 1-4 3Pt), three assists and one rebound over 13 minutes
Currently Not in Action
Alanna Smith — Mist (Unrivaled), Australia (World Cup Qualfying)
Smith began her offseason playing in Unrivaled, where she helped the Mist take home the Unrivaled championship. When that season concluded, she represented her home country of Australia in World Cup Qualifying action in Istanbul.
In Qualifying play, Smith helped her squad to a perfect 5-0 record, which led Australia to the top finish in Istanbul while earning a spot in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany in September.
Season Stats:
World Cup Qualifying: 5 games — 11.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Unrivaled: 14 games — 9.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.8 BPG, 0.5 SPG
Courtney Williams — Breeze (Unrivaled)
Williams returned to Unrivaled for the second season after being one of the first 32 players to make up the inaugural season a year ago. After spending last season with the Lunar Owls, Williams began the 2026 season with Vinyl before she was traded to Breeze.
This season, Williams did a nice job in distributing and contributing on the boards despite having a bit of an up-and-down start to the year offensively. She took part in 14 games, contributing in numerous areas of the game.
Season Stats:
Unrivaled: 14 games — 7.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Natisha Hiedeman — Hive (Unrivaled)
Hiedeman returned to Unrivaled for the second straight season after bouncing around to three different teams — Phantom, Laces and Rose — during the inaugural season. Hiedeman concluded the year with Rose and helped them to an Unrivaled Championship.
With Hive, one of the two newest teams to Unrivaled in 2026, Hiedeman contributed coming off the bench and took part in 12 games with Hive.
Season Stats:
Unrivaled: 12 games — 6.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Jaylyn Sherrod — Rhythm (Athletes Unlimited)
Sherrod spent her offseason staying in the country this offseason, taking part in Athletes Unlimited’s fifth season, which began earlier this February and concluded after four weeks in Nashville.
Sherrod was one of 40 players participating in the fast-paced, full-court, 5-on-5 league this season, finishing just under double figures in scoring on the season.
Season Stats:
Athletes Unlimited: 12 games — 9.2 PPG, 2.8 APG, 2.5 RPG, 1.3 SPG
That will do it for this week. As always, thank you for reading! We will catch up with you next week with another Lynx Offseason Update.