INDIANAPOLIS — Fresh off a trip to the WNBA playoff semifinals, the Indiana Fever will need to reload for 2026 — and quickly.
The WNBA and players’ union announced they agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement on March 18, setting into motion a monthlong frenzy of an offseason. All teams (including the Fever) will have to move fast to build a team through free agency, the expansion draft and the rookie entry draft.
The Fever only have three players under contract for a potential 2026 season: Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Makalya Timpson. Indiana will have a lot to do in free agency, much like every team in the league, but it has a sizable advantage with two of its three core players already under contract.
Indiana is also in a good position when it comes to the expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. While it’s unknown how many players existing teams will be able to protect, the Fever will likely be able to protect its three players under contract, as well as two others, such as Kelsey Mitchell or Lexie Hull, that they could target in a form of free agency.
So, how will the Fever build around its core as coach Stephanie White goes into year two at the helm?
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Retaining outgoing free agents
Mitchell will be “priority No. 1” in free agency for Indiana for the second straight season.
Indiana signed Mitchell on a core contract for the 2025 season, giving her an automatic supermax salary of around $250,000. Under the old CBA, players are eligible to be cored, which is a supermax contract in exchange for exclusive negotiating rights, for two seasons.
In the new CBA, the two sides made a tweak to the core designation: only players with under six years of service will be able to be cored. That rule, however, will start with the 2027 season, meaning the Fever will be able to core Mitchell in 2026. That will give Mitchell an automatic $1.4 million supermax and allow Indiana to retain her rights for another year.
Sophie Cunningham, who is an unrestricted free agent in 2026, was an immediate fit in Indiana when she was traded from Phoenix in 2025. Cunningham averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds as the starting wing for the Fever while also filling a role as the team’s “enforcer,” but her first year in Indiana was hampered by an ankle injury at the beginning of the season, then an MCL tear in August. Cunningham, who is from Missouri, still frequently referred to the 2025 season as the best of her career.
Lexie Hull, who just finished her rookie contract after Indiana drafted her at No. 6 in 2022, has expressed interest in returning to Fever. In her four years, Hull’s role went from someone who was buried at the end of the bench, to a pivotal rotational player, to a starting wing with a strong 3-point clip.
Hull is someone who provides crucial depth in the middle of the lineup, as she can play the 2, 3 and the 4 when needed. She is also a strong defender — something Indiana has been pushing to improve. Hull is a restricted free agent in 2026, meaning the Fever have the right of first refusal.
Indiana will also need a backup point guard behind Clark, and Aari McDonald fit that role for the Fever in the minimal minutes the two were both healthy in 2025.
McDonald plays in the same similar, yet uncommon, style as Clark, pushing the pace for quick transitions. Their similar styles of play would make it so there’s little adjustment when Clark checks out, which would give Indiana’s star some crucial breathing room.
McDonald, however, has had some recent injury issues. She broke her right foot in Indiana’s game against Phoenix on Aug. 7, 2025, then suffered another right leg injury in her first game in Unrivaled in January. McDonald tweeted Feb. 9 that her return, albeit not in time for Unrivaled, will be “very soon.”
Finding others that fit
Assuming Indiana can retain its key players in free agency, the Fever would likely need a power forward to fill out their starting lineup. Ideally, Indiana would be looking for a rim-runner 4 that could also hit 3-pointers at a high enough rate to be a threat beyond the arc.
White’s teams have historically been strong defensively, as well. Her Connecticut teams in 2023 and 2024 ranked second and first in the league in defensive rating, respectively, while her 2025 Indiana team was seventh.
Gabby Williams, who played for the Seattle Storm under the core designation in 2025, would be a great fit for the type of player Indiana is looking for. Williams is a quick forward who can run the court, averaging 11.6 points per game, and a vigorous defender — she was first team All-Defense and third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2025. The question, of course, would be if Indiana could afford both Mitchell and Williams. They’re both likely to command near-max contracts in 2026.
Another option lies in Azura Stevens, a 6-foot-6 power forward/center. She has played in Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles over an eight-year WNBA career, which could give Indiana another veteran voice. Stevens is used to playing in two-big lineups, too, as she averaged 12.8 points and 8.0 rebounds while playing next to Dearica Hamby in Los Angeles. Stevens also shot 4.4 3-pointers a game at a 38% clip in 2025.
The Fever could also go a familiar route in Temi Fagbenle, who was picked up by Golden State after they left her unprotected in the 2025 expansion draft. Fagbenle, an unrestricted free agent, was the perfect complement to Clark in 2024 as a big who was able to get down the floor quickly and catch Clark’s long-range passes.
To take the next step, Indiana needs to find players who will supplement Clark’s quick style of play. A proficient stretch 4, along with retaining their key free agents and building depth behind the starting lineup, will allow the Fever to take that step.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
