Alanna Smith set the WNBA free agency market ablaze this week with a few measured words in Australia, and the league is already paying attention.

The reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year, speaking to Andrew Dukowitz, made clear she is not walking back into Minnesota without exploring what else is out there.

“I loved Minnesota, but a lot of teams are looking different this year, so I think I’d be doing a disservice to myself if I wasn’t exploring other opportunities,” Smith said. She was in Australia supporting her sister, who signed a developmental deal with the WNBL’s Tasmania Jewels, when her comments landed.

Smith framed her position in the market as something she has had to earn. "I'm at a point in my career where I do have the luxury of choice, and it's a privileged position to be in, because I have not always been in this position," she said. "I know that I've put in a lot of hard work to get to this point."

Alanna Smith spent two seasons with the Lynx, averaging 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game last season.

Her defensive impact, though, went well beyond the box score. She shared the co-DPOY award with A’ja Wilson, whose 3.3 defensive win shares edged Smith’s 2.9, the second-best mark in the league.

Having said that, the Lynx extended a core qualifying offer to Napheesa Collier, their franchise cornerstone, but Smith enters the market as an unrestricted free agent with full leverage to take her pick.

She will be “heavily involved” in negotiations over the coming week alongside her agent. “Just talking to teams, negotiating, figuring out what’s the best fit and where home will be for the foreseeable future,” she said.

With a player of her caliber available, it was only a matter of time before the calls started coming in, and one of them might be from an Empire State franchise.

The New York Liberty Among the Teams Pursuing Alanna Smith

The Liberty is one of several teams that have expressed interest in Smith, according to multiple sources, and the fit makes sense.

New York’s defensive rating ranked in the middle of the league last season, and its frontcourt lacks the rim protection and physical presence Alanna Smith would immediately provide alongside Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.

The Indiana Fever have also been linked to Smith, and the case there is equally compelling.

Indiana’s frontcourt has leaned heavily on Aliyah Boston, and the Fever are in need of the exact combination of toughness, shot-blocking, and floor-spacing that Smith brings.

Furthermore, with Caitlin Clark returning healthy, a defense-first biggie who can protect the paint and knock down threes from the elbow would fit Indianapolis just well.

Alanna Smith’s next destination will be one of the defining storylines of a free agency period already full of them, and whatever she decides, she has earned the right to make that call on her own terms.

Read more at She Got Game!

Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Arvind Rao