Importance of International Talent in 2026
By hiring Rachel Galligan as an international scout, the Lynx made a savvy investment in what may increasingly become the best way for adding to the talent to an already good team. In the past, the two main ways for improving a team were: (1) through the draft; or (2) by poaching another team’s players In free agency. However, the draft now has 15 first round selections and will expand to 16 selections in 2027. If you are a good team, then you likely will not have a pick until late in the first round, after much of the talent has been picked over. This diminishes the usefulness of the draft as a means of adding talent to an already good team. Just consider what Golden State did prior to the start of the 2026 draft, in trading away the pick that ultimately became Flau’jae Johnson. The Valkyries obviously didn’t think that any can’t-miss talent would still be available when they picked at 8. Thus, to avoid having to give a guaranteed contract to a young rookie that might not improve the team, they traded out of the first round and thereby gifted Flau’jae to Seattle. The expanding length of the first round and the guaranteed nature of all first round contracts means that the draft may not be the best way of improving an already good team.
So what about free agency? Unfortunately, most of the players who were free agents this past offseason signed contracts of at least two-years duration. While there were players like Phee, or Kelsey Plum, or Jackie Young, who signed only one-year contracts (apparently with the intention of being eligible for even more lucrative contracts next year), and while teams declined to give longer-term contracts to players that might be perceived as high-risk, like Chennedy Carter, or who appeared to be nearing the end of their careers, like Brittney Griner, the vast majority of players are tied up for two or more years. In fact, some teams, like Atlanta or Washington, will have no unrestricted free agents next offseason, while teams like Minnesota and Phoenix will have only a single unrestricted free agent. The Las Vegas Aces are the outlier next offseason with just over 20% of the league’s UFAs in 2027. However, the opportunities for poaching other teams’ free agents seem to be rather limited, at least in the near future.
Of course, it is always possible that Reeve can fleece another team in a trade, but barring that, the scouting and recruiting of international talent seems like it might be the best way of adding to the team in the near future. It‘s nice that Reeve was apparently aware of this when she hired Rachel. It’s also nice that the team owners made the financial commitment necessary for the Lynx to add an international scout.