Chloe Bibby Set to Join Lynx With Sky Unable to Clear Cap Room
· Yahoo Sports
The Minnesota Lynx signed forward Chloe Bibby on Saturday after Chicago did not match Minnesota's offer by the 4 p.m. CT deadline.
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The Sky valued Bibby and would have preferred to keep her on the roster, sources told ESPN, but Chicago would have needed to trade a player to create the room to match.
Minnesota submitted the offer sheet on Friday, giving the Sky, who had the right of first refusal on Bibby as a developmental player, one day to match it. Teams that decline release the player.
Under the March collective bargaining agreement, each WNBA team has 12 main roster spots and two developmental spots, with developmental salaries paid outside the $7 million cap. Chicago could use Bibby in 12 regular-season games. Minnesota will pay her the 2026 minimum of $270,000, prorated from her signing date, and can use her in all remaining games.
Bibby made her season debut July 15 against Seattle. She shot 5-of-11 in the 95-90 win and finished with 14 points, 1 rebound, and 4 assists. The 14 points were a career high. Thursday against Connecticut, she came off the bench for 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Her four games with the Sky produced averages of 5.5 points, 1.5 assists, and 0.5 steals on 40.0% shooting.
The Sky promoted Aicha Coulibaly to a rest-of-season deal in late June and filled her development spot with Bibby on June 30. Maddy Westbeld has the other one.
Chicago has played the past week without starting forward Azura Stevens, who has been away from the team for personal reasons and will miss Saturday's game against Las Vegas. The Sky are 10-18 and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Rookie forward Emma Cechova suffered a torn right ACL in May and will miss the season. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve mentioned they intend to use an injury exemption after the trade deadline, which will free up her salary and create a roster spot. Eliska Hamzova is on a developmental contract, and the other position has been vacant since June, when the Lynx promoted Liatu King to a standard deal.
Bibby, a 28-year-old from Warracknabeal, Australia, stands 6'2" and is a forward. She played three seasons at Mississippi State and two at Maryland, with averages of 12.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. In 2021, she received All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, and in 2022, she was named Second Team. Over five seasons, she scored 1,373 points, collected 674 rebounds, and blocked 44 shots. She went undrafted in 2022, and Minnesota waived her after camp.
Golden State gave Bibby a training camp contract in February 2025. She was waived in May and re-signed in June. Bibby averaged 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 5 games with the Valkyries and shot 42.1% from three. Indiana signed her to a seven-day contract on July 25 of that year, then kept her for the rest of the season. She shot 39.1% from three in 9 games with the Fever. Her season ended in August with a left knee injury. Her 2025 season came to 14 games between the two teams. She averaged 11.0 minutes a night, 4.8 points, and 1.8 rebounds.
Portland selected Bibby 11th overall in the 2026 expansion draft. She played one preseason game for the Fire before a May trade sent her to Phoenix for the rights to Julia Ayrault, and the Mercury waived her ahead of opening night.
Bibby spent the 2025-26 season with Spar Girona in Spain. She averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in eight EuroLeague games and shot 54.1% from the floor and 36.0% from three. Girona was also where she won Liga Femenina de Baloncesto MVP in 2024-25. She won Polish League MVP the season before that with AZS AJP Gorzow Wielkopolski.
Australia has named Bibby to its roster for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in September. She played for the Opals at the qualifying tournament in Turkey in March. Her senior international medals include a gold at the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup and a bronze at the 2022 World Cup in Sydney.
Minnesota beat Toronto 104-72 on Thursday for its ninth straight win and is 24-6. Napheesa Collier returned from double ankle surgery on July 22 and played her first home game since September on Tuesday. The Lynx host Indiana on Sunday.