Lynx, Seimone Augustus agree to multiyear contract

Published Sep. 13, 2013 4:56 p.m. ET

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MINNEAPOLIS -- To many more, Seimone.

Eight years in the Twin Cities have seen Lynx wing Seimone Augustus emerge as one of the WNBA's elite scorers, and the organization jumped at the chance to keep her around for at least a few more.

Minnesota re-signed Augustus to a multiyear contract Friday, a day before the Western Conference regular-season champions wrap up the regular season and eye a second championship in three years.

The 6-foot, 166-pound points machine has been instrumental in that run, ranking as the franchise's all-time leading scorer and playing in more games (223) than any other Lynx player throughout the team's 15-year existence. She averages 18.7 points per game during a career that includes four All-Star Game appearances, WNBA Finals MVP recognition (2011) and two Olympic gold medals.

And this year, Augustus has elevated her game even higher.

Her 51.6 field-goal percentage is the best of her career, and her 16.3 points per game rank 10th in a league full of dynamic scorers. She missed time earlier in the season with a left ankle sprain but has come back just fine.

"We are thrilled to have extended the contract of one of the league’s premier scorers and a cornerstone for our franchise over the last eight years," Lynx executive vice president Roger Griffith said in a release. "Throughout her Lynx career, Seimone has been an integral piece of the development of our franchise, setting club records for scoring, field goals and games played. She’s considered one of the game’s most dangerous players with the ball in her hands and we are extremely excited that she will be continuing her career in a Lynx uniform."

Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The maximum extension allowed under the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement is for three years in the neighborhood of $107,500 per year.

Those were the terms granted to fellow pillar Lindsay Whalen, who inked her extension last Friday.

Drafted first overall by Minnesota out of LSU in 2006, Augustus didn't require any period of adjustment to the WNBA. Her 21.9 points per game ranked second in the league and helped her run away with rookie of the year accolades.

She hasn't slowed down since, though her numbers have dipped a bit with the team's influx of talent the past three years, starting with the addition of Whalen and drafting of MVP candidate Maya Moore.

But Minnesota doesn't click without Augustus knocking down jump shots and creating transition opportunities with her active perimeter defense. With the obvious mission of keeping their nucleus intact, the Lynx can look forward to continually benefiting from those services.

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