Northwestern Women's Basketball Great Signs Massive New Deal with Minnesota Lynx

A four-time All-Big Ten Teamer with the Wildcats has jumped ship to rejoin the retooling Lynx.

Apr 25, 2026; Washington, DC, USA: Washington Mystics forward Angela Dugalic (32) is fouled while shooting by Minnesota Lynx forward Nia Coffey (12) in the first half at Entertainment & Sports Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

A veteran Northwestern University Wildcats alum has just inked a lucrative new WNBA contract.

The catch: it's actually for something in the vicinity of the veteran's minimum — but thanks to a life-altering, newly ratified CBA, that money will be transformative.

Kendra Andrews of ESPN reports that free agent small forward Nia Coffey has agreed to a two-season contract with the mightily revamped Minnesota Lynx. Per Spotrac, the 30-year-old is set to make $717,500 across the next two seasons. That sum is a hair above the minimum, which at most can reach $300K.

Nia Coffey is signing a two-year deal with the Minnesota Lynx, sources tell ESPN. Her deal is above the veteran minimum. The forward spend the last four years in Atlanta, and now provides Minnesota with a steady veteran reserve.

— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) April 12, 2026

A four-time All-Big Ten First Team during her Wildcats tenure, the Saint Paul native was selected with the fifth overall pick by the then-San Antonio Stars (later the Las Vegas Aces) in the 2017 WNBA Draft — that made her the highest-selected pick in the history of the program at the time.

The 6-foot-1 wing has since traveled a bit, also playing for the Atlanta Dream (twice) and Phoenix Mercury during her stateside play. She has suited up for clubs in Israel, Australia, Poland, Turkey, and France

Before this latest CBA, most high-level women's players have had to play abroad to get appropriately compensated. With a flood of money now finally reaching the W (maximum salaries are now $1.4 million), that no longer has to be the case — although the 44-game regular season is still fairly brisk, and there's still room to make some extra cash.

Last year, on a pretty solid 30-14 Dream team anchored by All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, Coffey served as a deep-bench cog. She averaged 3.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists across 10.3 minutes per.

Coffey might enjoy a more outsized role with her home state squad in 2026. Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier will take some of the regular season to recover from an ankle surgery, creating a window for Coffey to play more meaningful minutes early.

Minnesota has struggled through an offseason of tumult following this new CBA. Beloved role player Natisha Hiedeman, departed the team in free agency for a splashy new deal with the Seattle Storm. All-Defensive First Team shooting guard DiJonai Carrington, WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year power forward Alanna Smith, small forward Bridget Carleton, forward Jessica Shepard, and center Maria Kliundikova are all also now elsewhere.

The club did retain incumbent stars Kayla McBride and Hiedeman's fellow StudBud, guard Courtney Williams, on two-year, $2.4 million maximum deals, while inking Collier to a one-season, $1.4 million super max. The Lynx also selected All-American TCU point guard Olivia Miles with the No. 2 overall pick in the lottery of the 2026 WNBA Draft.

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