Reeve on Meesseman joining Liberty over Lynx: 'She made the wrong choice'

Veteran big Emma Meesseman recently signed with the New York Liberty and is expected to make her return to the WNBA within the next few weeks. The Minnesota Lynx were also in the mix to land Meesseman, but she chose to join the defending champions.

Ahead of the Lynx's first meeting with the Liberty on Wednesday, head coach Cheryl Reeve didn't mince words when asked about Meesseman.

"She made the wrong choice," Reeve said with only the slightest hint of a smirk.

Meesseman, 32, last played in the W in 2022, when she was an All-Star with the Chicago Sky. She previously spent seven seasons with the Washington Mystics, making one All-Star team (2015) and being named Finals MVP (2019). The Belgian international has been playing in Europe for the past few years.

A 6'4" big who can hit threes and make plays for others, Meesseman would've been a logical fit for the Lynx, who need more size in their frontcourt and insurance for Alanna Smith, who seems to frequently deal with minor injury issues. Instead, they may have to face her and the Liberty if both teams get back to the Finals.

More than two full months into the season, the Lynx (22-5) and Liberty (17-8) are finally set to face off for the first time since last year's controversial Game 5 of the Finals. It was quite the scheduling quirk that the two best teams in the league didn't see each other until now.

Meesseman won't play in Wednesday's game at Target Center. Neither will Breanna Stewart, the Liberty superstar who has earned five consecutive first-team All-WNBA nods. Stewart is out for at least a while with a leg injury. But there will still be plenty of firepower on the New York sideline between Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Natasha Cloud, and numerous talented role players.

And the Lynx, led by MVP favorite Napheesa Collier, will be out for some revenge.

The Liberty lost to a struggling Dallas Wings team on Monday without Stewart. The Lynx, who are coming off their first home loss of the season on Sunday against the Atlanta Dream, are listed as 8.5-point favorites heading into Wednesday's Finals rematch.

Looking ahead, the WNBA trade deadline is on August 7, and it'll be interesting to see if Reeve and the Lynx make a move to bolster their depth — and perhaps add some size — for the stretch run. The Lynx and Liberty will play three more times in August (on the 10th, 16th, and 19th).

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. It's a national TV game on ESPN.