The Lynx completed a significant rebuild at the point guard position Wednesday.
Lynx agree to terms with free agent Courtney Williams, trade for Natisha Hiedeman on a busy day
Courtney Williams, a 5-8 point guard, is coming off one of her best WNBA seasons where she was a standout for the Chicago Sky.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 1, 2024 at 1:00PM
Late in the day, they agreed to terms on a contract with free agent Courtney Williams. This came just hours after the Lynx made a trade that brought Natisha Hiedeman to the Lynx from Connecticut for guard Tiffany Mitchell and a second-round pick.
Before the free agent negotiating period began, Lynx president of basketball operations and head coach Cheryl Reeve targeted a point guard, and she didn’t waste any time.
Entering her ninth season, the 5-8 Williams will be playing for her fourth team in as many years, but she is coming off one of her best. In town already, she was set to attend the Timberwolves-Dallas game at Target Center Wednesday night with Reeve.
The point guard position has lacked depth for the Lynx, mostly because of injuries, but that changed when off-guard Mitchell, 29, and the 19th overall pick in the April draft went to the Sun for Hiedeman, 26.
Teams cannot comment on free agent signings until Thursday, but Reeve could talk about the Hiedeman trade.
“We hated to lose Tiff,” Reeve said of Mitchell, who was forced to play the point at times last season because of injuries. “She tried to step in and fill those needs for us last year. But her natural position is a two. We hate to see her go, but I think her situation will be great.”
In Williams, the Lynx get a three-level scorer, especially known for her mid-range game. In eight seasons the 29-year-old has averaged 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. But last year in Chicago, she averaged a career-high 6.3 assists. She was the eighth overall pick by Phoenix in 2016 out of South Florida.
Hiedeman, a former Marquette standout who has started 71 games the past to seasons with the Sun, has career averages of 7.9 points and 2.4 assists. The 5-8 guard is a career .392 shooter on three-pointers.
Reeve has always liked Hiedeman, enough to draft her originally, back in 2019. But she was part of a draft-night deal that brought Lexie Brown to the Lynx.
“She has the ability to shoot,” Reeve said of Hiedeman. “Shooting, the athleticism, defense, we think she’ll help in all those areas.”
The news came less than a week after news broke that free agent forward Alanna Smith had agreed to terms on a multiyear deal with the Lynx, which should also be formally announced Thursday.
The Lynx are likely not done. Reeve said she wanted to bolster the team’s depth in the post as well. Even with the addition of Smith, that remains a need; the team said power forward Jessica Shepard will not play in the WNBA this season. Shepard, who averaged 8.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 21 games last summer, will stay in Italy, fulfilling commitments she has made to the professional team she plays for there.
That post depth could be achieved through another trade.
Caitlin Clark brought her golf game and a big buzz to the LPGA Tour on Wednesday when the basketball star played in a pro-am that attracted a bigger crowd than the tour often gets for its tournament rounds.
