Report: Lynx Targeting Vandersloot, Stevens in WNBA Free Agency

The Minnesota Lynx will meet with former Chicago Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot of the after free agency opens on Saturday, according to a report from Howard Megdal of The Next.

Vandersloot, a four-time WNBA All-Star, met with the Lynx last offseason as well, before ultimately returning to the Sky on a one-year deal along with her wife, sharpshooter Allie Quigley, a Chicago area native and DePaul alumna. Quigley’s decision to return to the Sky for another season in free agency last year likely played a role in Vandersloot’s decision.

After the Sky’s season-ending loss to the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the WNBA Semifinals last season, Quigley addressed the uncertainty of her WNBA future, as it had been rumored all season that she was contemplating retiring after the season.

“I never imagined it ending up like this or having the career I had. Especially being able to do it in Chicago with my family, meet my wife, it’s unbelievable,” Quigley said, per ESPN. “I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

While Quigley didn’t announce her retirement, her postgame comments surely fueled the speculation that the 2022 season was her last. Given that Vandersloot, Quigley, and star forwards Candace Parker and Emma Meesseman — who has been outspoken against the league’s prioritization rule that takes effect this upcoming season — are all free agents, it seems that this may be a clean breaking point.

Megdal added the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty among the parties interested in Vandersloot. The talented guard is a native of Kent, Wa., a suburb of Seattle, and starred at Gonzaga in college. Vandersloot’s fit with the Liberty would be interesting considering she’d join All-Star point guard Sabrina Ionescu in the New York back-court, but if Ionescu moved off the ball, it could create a dynamic force to be reckoned with.

If the Lynx were to land Vandersloot, it’d be a transformational boost to the back-court. Minnesota Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve has been searching for a long-term replacement she feels comfortable with ever since Hall of Fame inductee and Lynx legend Lindsay Whalen retired in 2018, but hasn’t yet found the right fit. Vandersloot — who turns 34 on February 8 — may not reach Whalen’s eight-year tenure, but checks the boxes Reeve desires in a point guard.

Vandersloot averaged 11.8 points on 48.1/36.7/76.5 shooting splits, 6.5 assists to 2.7 turnovers, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and held an on-off of +12.7 across 26.5 minutes per game in 32 contests, all starts.

She is the top ‘floor general’ style point guard in free agency, and has a tremendous ability to run an organized offense through star players and make good decisions with the ball nearly every time down the floor. If Sloot chose Minnesota, we would see a fully optimized version of two-time All-Star forward Napheesa Collier that unquestionably raises the ceiling of an offense that struggled…