Lynx sign Napheesa Collier, expecting a child this month, to contract extension

The Lynx might have to wait a while for Napheesa Collier to return this summer. But she will be with the team long-term.

Collier, expecting her first child later this month, has signed a multiyear contract extension, the team announced Monday morning.

The deal's terms were not released, but it is expected to be for three years. Collier is entering the last year of her rookie contract.

The 6-1 forward was the sixth overall pick out of UConn in the 2019 draft and was named rookie of the year and an All-Star in her first year, during which she averaged 16.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Also an All-Star in 2021, Collier was a member of Team USA, which won gold at the Olympics in Japan last summer. In three years in the league Collier has played in 85 regular season games — all starts — and averaged 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists. She was all-WNBA second team in 2020.

"I am excited to extend my career in Minnesota and to continue working towards a championship,'' Collier said in a news release.

Collier's status for this season still is unclear. Both she and the team are hoping a return later this season is possible.

With the season opener Friday in Seattle, the Lynx will have to pare their roster. On Monday, they waived Chloe Bibby and Moon Ursin.

Bibby is a rookie from Maryland, where she played two seasons after transferring from Mississippi State, where she played three years. Ursin was All-AAC at Tulane as a graduate transfer after four seasons at Baylor, where she was second-team All-Big 12.