Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has acquired guard Maya Caldwell from the Portland Fire in exchange for Minnesota’s own 2028 third-round draft pick.
Caldwell, a 5-11 guard, was selected by the Portland Fire in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft from the Atlanta Dream. She appeared in 41 games (16 starts) with Atlanta last season, averaging 5.4 points on 42.6% shooting from the field and 35.4% from three, while also recording 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 steals per game. Caldwell’s best outing last season came against Los Angeles on Sept. 5, when she posted 19 points on 7-of-11 (63.6%) shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 (71.4%) from deep, along with seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.
The guard most recently played for Shandong in the Chinese WCBA during the offseason, averaging 14.4 points on 50.0% shooting from the field and 31.6% from three, while adding 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Caldwell’s best performance included a triple-double and a season-high 28 points against Shanghai on Dec. 21, shooting 4-of-8 (50.0%) from deep and adding 16 rebounds and 11 assists in the 100–97 win.
The Charlotte, N.C. native was drafted 33rd overall in the third round of the 2021 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever and holds career averages of 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game across three seasons with Atlanta and one with Indiana. Caldwell graduated from the University of Georgia after appearing in all 122 games over four seasons, including 58 consecutive starts to close her career. A two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, she was named to the 2021 SEC All-Tournament Team after leading the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship game for the first time since 2004.
