During this season, Indiana Fever lost Caitlin Clark, who was only able to play 13 games, Sophie Cunningham, Damiris Dantas, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, and Chloe Bibby.
For this reason, the team ended up with 17 players to mitigate the multiple injuries and added figures such as McDonald, Sims, Shey Peddy, and Aerial Powers through emergency contracts. Looking ahead to 2026, the Fever will have a difficult decision to make, but Stephanie White is clear about the team’s priorities.
White breaks her silence about free agency
Considering that only Caitlin, Aliyah Boston, and Makayla Timpson are guaranteed to remain with the Fever and have contracts through 2026, the rest of their teammates are free agents.
The Fever face a tough decision ahead of next year, when they will be looking to be in top form and fight for another championship. After losing in the semifinals to eventual champions Las Vegas Aces, the team is starting to think about its roster.
Fever general manager Amber Cox recently stated that Kelsey Mitchell will be the team’s “priority” when speaking to the media on October 2, and Indiana’s head coach did not contradict her. In her recent appearance on IndyStar’s Fever Insider podcast, White said:
I mean, [Mitchell] was the number one priority [in free agency] a year ago, and she’s the number one priority this year. She has been so important. And I said this last year: Kelsey deserves to go through this stage of her Indiana Fever career. She has been through the worst of the worst… and she has showed up like a pro every day.
The 29-year-old guard had a great performance this year, which led her to be one of the finalists for the league MVP and a leading figure on the team. After suffering from rhabdomyolysis during Game 5 of the Semifinals, Mitchell had to leave the court, but she earned the respect and love of fans, teammates, and rivals by playing until the very end.
On the other hand, White also shared that a preliminary analysis will be essential for making important decisions regarding next year: “I do think that making sure that we’re all on the same page about free agency, No. 1, and what that looks like and what our opportunities are, is going to be important [this offseason].”
In the meantime, we can only wait to find out who will accompany CC next year, a season that will undoubtedly be full of surprises.
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