The Minnesota Lynx announced Thursday that they had come to a contract buyout agreement with five-time All-Star forward Angel McCoughtry.
McCoughtry, 35, signed with the Lynx in February after missing all but one game in two of the past three seasons due to injuries in both knees.
After missing Minnesota’s May 6 season opener, she started its next two games and averaged 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds over 10.0 minutes per contest.
“Minnesota is a great organization and a class act,” McCoughtry said in a statement. “Thank you to (head coach and general manager) Cheryl Reeve, the coaching staff and my teammates for the opportunity to come to Minnesota. Although the organization has been very patient with my injury and helping me heal my body, sometimes it’s about what fits best for both parties. I believe in myself and I know I will be all the way back to perform at the highest level.
“To my fans, thanks for your support during this time. It’s because of your support that I’ll be back and ready to give the game all I got.”
The former No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 WNBA Draft, McCoughtry spent 2009-19 with the Atlanta Dream. A late-season left knee injury in 2018 kept her out of the playoffs and all but one game of the 2019 campaign.
McCoughtry joined the Las Vegas Aces in the abbreviated 2020 “bubble season” and averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 22 regular-season starts, adding 15.5 points in eight playoff starts. But in a 2021 preseason game, she tore her right ACL and meniscus and played just one game that season.
In 311 career games (263 starts), McCoughtry has averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 42.9 percent.
“On behalf of the Lynx organization and players, I want to thank Angel for her belief in the Minnesota Lynx when she chose us in free agency,” Reeve said in a statement. “Angel is one of the all-time greats in the WNBA and we wish her the very best.”
–Field Level Media
