The Lynx waived two players, rookie guard Carlie Wagner and forward Jillian Alleyne, on Tuesday.
This is what coach Cheryl Reeve told Wagner:
This is the start, not the end, of your professional career.
The two moves reduced the team's roster to the league-maximum of 12 players. But, with salary cap restrictions, the team will likely star the season with 11, adding a 12th sometime in June.
That means another move will have to be made by Sunday's season opener with the Los Angeles Sparks at Target Center.
The team's current roster includes starters Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles. Reserves include guards Tanisha Wright, Danielle Robinson, Alexis Jones, forwards Lynetta Kizer, Endy Miyem and Cecelia Zandalasini and center Temi Fagbenle.
The final cut will likely revolve around the backup position at power forward, with Kizer working through soreness in her SI joint. That Kizer took full part of Tuesday's practice is a good sign.
Wagner, the third-leading scorer in Gophers history, left a very strong impression on Reeve.
"She plays hard,'' Reeve said. "She fights every possession. I told her she overcame the stigma of a player that comes out of a zone system. She did well. We talked about areas of improvement. But I told her this is not the end, it's the start. Like a lot of players we like we'll keep an eye on her and see if there is another opportunity down the road.''
Reeve said Wagner is in good position to earn a job playing overseas this fall. "She has a good agent, she's got numbers behind her,'' Reeve said. "She had a quality training camp experience. She was drafted. All those things usually bode well for a prospect.''
Miyem and Zandalasini arrived in the Twin Cities Tuesday and accompanied the team to it's annual dinner at owner Glen Taylor's house in Mankato.
