With the guard position already thin and in question for the Minnesota Lynx going into the 2020 season, they might end up being without arguably their best player that position this summer.
On Tuesday afternoon, as the start of the free-agent negotiation period around the WNBA kicked off, reports started to circulate surrounding Sims and whether she would suit up for Minnesota this year.
Rachel Galligan of Winsidr was the first to report the news surrounding Sims on social media, stating she has been told the guard is “unlikely to play the 2020 WNBA season.”
If that report does stand true, that would put a big wrench into things for the Lynx going into the 2020 season and would obviously impact the way Minnesota attacks free agency and the rest of the offseason.
Sims has been in and out of the news over the course of the past year in her first season with Minnesota, as she was arrested on DUI charges during the summer.
The WNBA later announced that Sims would be suspended without pay for the first two games of the 2020 regular season, citing that suspension was stemming from “an incident earlier this summer.”
During the 2019 season, Sims’ sixth year in the league and first with the Lynx, the veteran guard enjoyed a career year while being one of the more consistent offensive threats for the Lynx during the summer.
She finished the season appearing and starting in all 34 games for Minnesota, averaging a career-high 14.5 points and 5.4 assists per game to go along with 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 41.5 percent from the field. That performance resulted in Sims earning the first All-Star Game nod of her professional career.
Although there has been no official word from the organization yet surrounding Sims and her status for the summer, the Lynx might now be forced to further beef up their backcourt this offseason.
Danielle Robinson, who started at the guard position alongside Sims during the 2019 season, is already an unrestricted free agent although it wouldn’t be surprising to see her back with the Lynx this year. But now with potentially not having Sims for the summer, that likelihood of Minnesota trying to retain Robinson might increase.
Outside of Sims and Robinson, Lexie Brown is really the only other player who made a solid contribution at the guard position for Minnesota last season. Rookie Napheesa Collier ended up initiating some of the offense at points in the year at the wing position to assist with the guards.
The Lynx were already in a position where they needed to look at the guard position and their backcourt in general going into the offseason. Minnesota, which has some cap room to add a piece or two and be aggressive in the free-agent market, might now be even more aggressive than initially anticipated.
With the offseason officially underway for the Lynx and the rest of the WNBA, things could start to heat up and get interesting both in Minnesota and around the league.
And for the Lynx, they could now reportedly be looking for even more help at the guard position while potentially being without one of their top guards in 2020.
