Minnesota Lynx wing Kayla McBride suffered a torn right quad muscle during a recent practice with Fenerbahçe in Istanbul, which likely will put her status in question for the start of the WNBA season.
Per Fenerbahçe, she began undergoing treatment in Turkey. The Athletic has reached out to her agent to confirm whether she is continuing her treatment in Istanbul or has returned to the States. Most orthopedic surgeons note that rehabilitation takes at least four months and up to six months, which would put her return to at least late May after the start of the season.
Like many top players, McBride, a 13-year veteran, is an unrestricted free agent. Last season, she was Minnesota’s second-highest-paid player behind All-Star Napheesa Collier. In 2025, she was a WNBA All-Star for the fifth time and ranked second on the Lynx in per-game scoring, assists and steals.
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The Lynx season begins at home against the Atlanta Dream on May 10, two days after the WNBA’s 2026 campaign. The season start date — which is the WNBA’s earliest in its 30 years — could be in jeopardy as the league and the players’ union continue to negotiate for a collective bargaining agreement.
The CBA negotiations have passed two deadlines, and it’s unclear when a deal will be struck, how contracts will change and what these factors mean for teams’ structures.
McBride has been one of the most consistent and productive two-way wings in the league over the past several seasons, earning two of her five All-Star nods in the last two seasons. Among high-volume 3-point shooters in 2025, McBride led the WNBA by making 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. She has played year-round her entire pro career, including playing last offseason in Unrivaled’s first season and with Fenerbahçe.
After playing the first part of her career with the San Antonio Stars and Las Vegas Aces, McBride signed with the Lynx in 2021 under the league’s longest-tenured coach, Cheryl Reeve. McBride has been crucial to Minnesota’s success during that time. The Lynx reached the WNBA Finals in 2024 and the 2025 semifinals. At the end of last season, an emotional McBride said, “In pro sports, it doesn’t get any better than what we have in our locker room.”
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But Minnesota’s locker room could look significantly different in 2026, as every rotational player is an unrestricted free agent. In October, The Athletic named McBride as a free agent to watch, noting potential fits with the New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, WNBA
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