January 27, 2024
Minnesota Lynx expected to sign free agent forward Alanna Smith
Cheryl Reeve and the Lynx take their first dip into free agency
The Minnesota Lynx are on the board in WNBA free agency, reportedly agreeing to a two-year deal with former Chicago Sky forward Alanna Smith. ESPN’s Alexa Philippou first reported the news. Teams across the league can currently negotiate with free agents, but no deals can be officially inked until Feb. 1.
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
A veteran of five WNBA seasons, Smith enjoyed her most successful campaign to date in her lone season in Chicago in 2023. The Stanford alum earned a starting spot three games into the season and never relinquished it, averaging career bests in virtually every statistical category while helping the Sky reach the playoffs. Those averages included 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom
The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.
Smith’s breakout season in Chicago began with a season-opening win against the Lynx at Target Center in Minneapolis. She shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-3 from the 3-point line, to set a then-career high with 15 points. The opening-night fireworks signaled more to come for Smith, as she would eclipse the 15-point mark six times in 2023.
Smith, a member of Australia’s 2020 Olympic team, would add another layer to head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve’s frontcourt, which already includes Napheesa Collier, Dorka Juhász and Jessica Shepard. Notable among Smith’s career bests in 2023 is what she can provide as a rim protector: She ranked No. 7 in the league in total blocked shots (50) and blocks per game (1.3), per Basketball-Reference.
The Next and The Equalizer are teaming up
The Next is partnering with The Equalizer to bring more women’s sports stories to your inbox. Subscribe to The Next now and receive 50% off your subscription to The Equalizer for 24/7 coverage of women’s soccer.
The addition of Smith would bring Minnesota’s roster to seven, consisting of Smith, Collier, Juhász, Shepard, Kayla McBride, Diamond Miller and Tiffany Mitchell. The Lynx also extended a reserve qualifying offer to reserve free agent Nikolina Milić on Jan. 12, which would further bolster Minnesota’s frontcourt depth.
From here, the Lynx could look to the rest of the free agency period to add ball-handling and shooting to the roster. Even with Smith in the fold, Minnesota should still have plenty of salary cap flexibility to use on free agents.
Add Locked On Women’s Basketball to your daily routine
Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
Written by Terry Horstman
Terry Horstman is a Minneapolis-based writer and covers the Minnesota Lynx beat for The Next. He previously wrote about the Minnesota Timberwolves for A Wolf Among Wolves, and his other basketball writing has been published by Flagrant Magazine, HeadFake Hoops, Taco Bell Quarterly, and others. He's the creative nonfiction editor for the sports-themed literary magazine, the Under Review.
