In two months, the third season of Unrivaled Basketball will commence.
Injuries disrupted her in 2026, but Napheesa Collier — one of the league’s cofounders — is back for 2027 as the Lunar Owls’ star player, under head coach Pokey Chatman.
But an unavoidable subplot to Collier at Unrivaled this season is her status as a pending WNBA free agent — and possible recruitment, to the Minnesota Lynx or somewhere else, that could take place at Unrivaled’s base in Miami.
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It’s happened before. Kahleah Copper, Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas talked at Unrivaled in 2025 and decided to team up on the Phoenix Mercury. That same year, Brittney Griner made her choice to sign with the Atlanta Dream after linking up with Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard at Unrivaled.
If Napheesa collier resigns the Lynx will have about 900k in cap space to sign 2 free agents. If she leaves in free agency the Lynx have 2.6 millions in cap space to sign 3 free agents. Here’s the current WNBA free agents playing in Unrivaled -Napheesa Collier -Jackie Young -Kelsey Plum -Brittany Griner -Temi Fagbenle -Kayla Thornton -Tiffany Hayes -DiJonai Carrington -IsaBelle Harrison -Natasha Cloud -Kaitlyn Chen(ERFA) -Li Yueru(FRA) Wonder if any of them getting drafted to play on Olivia Miles’ team?
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) November 4, 2026
But Collier is the best free agent available this offseason, and her decision will have a domino effect around the league.
Collier could re-sign in Minnesota, where she has spent her entire seven-year WNBA career. The Lynx would have roughly $900,000 in available cap space if Collier re-signs on a max contract to play alongside rising superstar Olivia Miles for the next few years.
However, Collier and Miles didn’t fit together seamlessly in 2026. Though Collier began the season injured, which allowed Miles to take control of the Lynx offense, Minnesota’s stunning first-round playoff exit to the New York Liberty saw that some offense sputter and grind to a halt. It can be argued that the Lynx needs a reset.
Collier would be a strong fit in Golden State for the reigning champion Valkyries, who can create the cap space needed to sign her. The five-time All-Star also has been linked to the Liberty, given her business and personal interests on the East Coast, though the idea of joining the Lynx’s chief competitive rival wouldn’t really suit her style.
With five Valkyries players at Unrivaled this season — not to mention, her former UConn teammate and business partner Breanna Stewart — the chance to chat will be there. How Collier opts to contextualize those conversations could chart the course for the rest of the decade in the WNBA.
