When free agency opened up in early April after months of negotiations, many fans of the Minnesota Lynx expected it to be a relatively routine for their favorite team.
Though Minnesota had numerous free agents — as was the case for about 90 percent of the league — Lynx faithful thought this team would run it back and look awfully similar to the team that reached the WNBA Finals just two seasons ago and had the best record in the WNBA in 2025.
However, that quickly took a turn, with six total players from last summer’s squad leaving or being plucked away from the Lynx. Bridget Carleton and Maria Kliundikova were selected in the Expansion Draft. Alanna Smith, Natisha Hiedeman, Jessica Shepard and DiJonai Carrington all left in free agency.
Panic settled in among the fan base, but it didn’t within the organization. As she always does, Cheryl Reeve put the right pieces in place, brought in the right players and the right people to not just tread water, but to shock the WNBA in the early stages with Minnesota sitting atop the standings.
And as for those players who left the organization this offseason — or in Carleton’s case, was taken away to an expansion team — the Lynx made sure they felt welcomed and celebrated in their return home to Target Center as fans showed them appreciation.
But on the court, the Lynx also made sure they took care of business to show those players first-hand what they left behind while making it tough for them along the way.
“You’re seeing our organization’s love for those players and what we did together,” Cheryl Reeve said. “Certainly their love for our fan base, their teammates, the time that we shared together, the success that we had.
“But you’re with a new team and that’s your focus,” Reeve continued. “Enjoy the video, get a little bit from fans and you move on. And we’ll have the same mindset as, you know, we’re both trying to beat each other.”
Welcoming Back to ‘Our House’
A Reunion of Budz
The first player to return to Target Center — or as Lynx faithful call it, ‘Our House’ — this season was Natisha Hiedeman, one half of StudBudz alongside Courtney Williams.
This offseason, Hiedeman elected to take a larger role with the Seattle Storm, leaving a backup role in Minnesota for a starting job in Seattle while taking a two-year, $1.5 million contract with the rebuilding Storm squad.
On June 6, Hiedeman returned to Minneapolis to face off against the Lynx — in fact, she even came to support her former team two nights prior against Golden State.
In the game on June 6, Hiedeman posted a team-high-tying 14 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds in 26 minutes, but Minnesota got the last laugh with an 88-68 win.
“It felt so good seeing her out there doing her thing. I’m happy for her,” Williams said after facing Hiedeman and the Storm. “But it’s still L’s in the chat for them.”
Duo From Dallas
Three nights after Hiedeman returned to Minneapolis, two more former Lynx stepped back onto the Target Center floor for the first time since leaving last offseason.
The frontcourt Dallas Wings duo of Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard made their return on June 9, an emotional return for both players who spoke highly of Minnesota before the game.
Smith, the defending Co-Defensive Player of the Year, somewhat surprisingly departed from Minnesota last offseason, taking a three-year max contract worth $3.75 million. Shepard, who elected to take a well-deserved starting job in Dallas, left the Lynx while signing a two-year, $2.05 million contract with the Wings.
“I think about it now and I get emotional just because the memories were so good,” Smith said of her time in Minnesota and now being on the other side. “I think being able to be appreciated, even when you’re on the opposition, is really cool. I’ll always have that special relationship with Lynx fans.”
On June 9, Smith and Shepard got a nice reception from Lynx fans, but that quickly turned to cheering for Minnesota once the game began. Dallas, which faced off against a Minnesota team that was entering with a seven-game winning streak, was the next victim of a well-balanced Lynx performance resulting in a 100-76 Lynx win.
In the game, Shepard got a start and finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a typical Jess Shepard type of game. Smith, however, had a much quieter night while coming off the bench, finishing scoreless with two rebounds and one assist in nine minutes.
Face of the Fire
The final player to make her return was a special one, mainly due to the length of her time in Minnesota and being a favorite among the fan base.
Bridget Carleton and the Portland Fire — which also have Lynx legend Sylvia Fowles on the coaching staff as an assistant — arrived to Minneapolis for the first time on June 15, marking the first time Carleton stepped on the Target Center floor since departing the team last offseason. Carleton was selected first overall by the Fire in the 2026 Expansion Draft, later signing a three-year max contract worth $3.75 million.
Carleton spent seven seasons with the Lynx, being part of some special teams and deep postseason runs in Minnesota and taking over a starting job over the last few years.
“The fans here have shown me so much love over my seven years,” Carleton said. “They saw me go from a rookie who didn’t play at all to what happened last year and the year before (as a starter). It’s just really cool, the evolution of my career here, and they stuck with me through it all.”
Carleton’s night wasn’t one she wanted to remember, finishing with three points, two assists, one rebounds and a plus/minute of -31 in 26 minutes. And on top of that, the game ended in a 107-74 Lynx blowout win over Carleton and the Fire.
It’s not that it was necessarily about providing a point or showing the players who left that they are missing out. They departed either because of the continued expansion of the WNBA or due to larger roles and larger contracts they might not have gotten in Minnesota.
And though the Lynx are grateful for what those players contributed on the court when they were in a Lynx uniform, they seemed to turn things up just a bit more when those returns took place and take care of business.