Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier were encouraged to negotiate some trades immediately after their WNBA All-Star draft on Tuesday night. Instead, they swapped their head coaches.
Clark, as the leading vote-getter, was assigned Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the WNBA-leading Minnesota Lynx. Collier, Clark’s rival captain and the Lynx’s star player, was assigned New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello.
Now, in what appeared to be Clark’s initial suggestion, Brondello will coach Team Clark and Reeve will coach Team Collier in the All-Star Game on July 19 in Indianapolis.
Clark said on the ESPN broadcast that she and Collier had previously discussed the idea of trading coaches, but that she didn’t know if it was in the rules to do so.
“I agree with the trade. I love Cheryl, she’s my coach here,” Collier said. “And you know what, that’s just going be worse for Team Clark because now we got more chemistry on our side, we’ve got more synergy, we know what we expect from each other. So that was a bad move on your part, Caitlin, and we’re taking you down.”
Clark reminded Collier that Brondello is the defending league champion. Brondello’s Liberty beat Collier and Reeve’s Lynx in the WNBA Finals last fall.
There could be more to the trade than reuniting the Minnesota coach and star. In Reeve’s role as head coach of Team USA, she decided not to pick Clark for the 2024 Summer Olympics team that went on to win gold. Reeve had previously taken a shot at the WNBA for putting Clark at the center of its national TV strategy, at one point posting a tweet with the hashtags #12teams and #theWismorethanoneplayer.
Team Clark’s starting five features Aliyah Boston, Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson and Satou Sabally. Team Collier will have Breanna Stewart, Allisha Gray, Nneka Ogwumike and rookie Paige Bueckers on the floor to start the game.
Clark used the first pick of the draft on Fever teammate Boston, ensuring the home fans in Indianapolis will be able to cheer for both on the same team. Clark later spent her first reserve pick on Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, as well.
Collier’s first starter selected was Stewart, the two-time MVP and seven-time All-Star.
Clark drafted Stewart’s Liberty teammate, Ionescu, and Collier added Gray from the Atlanta Dream, leaving Clark to snag three-time MVP Wilson in her seventh All-Star appearance.
Collier said she hoped her fellow UConn Huskie Bueckers would still be available at the end of the round as she chose Seattle’s Ogwumike next, leaving Clark to tease her for telegraphing her next move. But rather than steal Bueckers, Clark chose Sabally, who is having a career year in her first season with the Mercury.
Collier picked Clark’s college rival Angel Reese with her team’s third pick of the reserves round.
As for player trades, Clark and Collier tossed some ideas around but ultimately decided they wanted to stick with the teams they had drafted.
The full teams are as follows:
Team Clark starters
Caitlin Clark (Indiana)
Aliyah Boston (Indiana)
Sabrina Ionescu (New York)
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas)
Satou Sabally (Phoenix)
Team Clark reserves
Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana)
Gabby Williams (Seattle)
Sonia Citron (Washington)
Kiki Iriafen (Washington)
Jackie Young (Las Vegas)
Kayla Thornton (Golden State)
Team Collier starters
Napheesa Collier (Minnesota)
Breanna Stewart (New York)
Allisha Gray (Atlanta)
Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle)
Paige Bueckers (Dallas)
Team Collier reserves
Courtney Williams (Minnesota)
Skylar Diggins (Seattle)
Angel Reese (Chicago)
Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix)
Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles)
Rhyne Howard (Atlanta)
–Field Level Media
