A former No. 3 pick, out of the league for a year
The Minnesota Lynx announced on Monday that they have signed guard Aari McDonald. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. To make room, the franchise waived guard Eliska Joklova.
McDonald is 28 and had not played a WNBA game since August 7, 2025. That night, on the road against Phoenix with the Indiana Fever, she suffered a right foot injury. The result: a season-ending blow. A full year away from top-level competition at an age when a guard is supposed to be hitting her peak.
Her path is worth a closer look. The No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft, selected by the Atlanta Dream, she was coming off an NCAA title game loss with Arizona. Very few players taken that high are without a contract five years later.
Try it for $0.99.
Three jerseys in five seasons
The numbers point to a steady rotation player, never quite a full-time starter. In 136 WNBA games, she has averaged 8.8 points and 3.1 assists. She has started just 42 of them, less than a third.
Three teams sat on her resume before Minnesota: Atlanta from 2021 to 2023, the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024, and Indiana in 2025. That kind of movement says plenty about how hard it is to stick anywhere for long.
The timing of the move matters as much as the player herself. The Lynx are 31-9 and sitting on top of the league. This is not a franchise shopping for help because its starters are in trouble.
Insurance, not a rescue
Minnesota want backcourt cover for the run-in and the playoffs. A guard who can give you 10 to 15 minutes without dragging the level down is worth every cent once the postseason starts.
The physical question remains. A year without an official game does not vanish in two practices. McDonald will have to show that her burst off the first step is still there, because that’s always been her calling card.
Discover the rest of the WNBA news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply