The Indiana Fever entered the season with championship expectations. Instead, they finished the regular season in sixth place and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, who knocked them out of the 2025 playoffs as well. The Fever's season came to an end Thursday night, when they lost 94-83 in Game 3 of their best-of-three first-round series.
The optimism in Indianapolis entering the season was well-founded. After all, they pushed the Aces to the limit in the semifinals last season despite losing six players to season-ending injuries, including Caitlin Clark. With Clark healthy, it seemed like the Fever would be ready to take the next step.
But their 107-104 loss to the Dallas Wings on opening day foreshadowed a frustrating campaign.
Clark and Kelsey Mitchell powered the best offense in WNBA history. The Fever set records for the best offensive rating (115) and true shooting percentage (60.6%), as well as the most 100-point games (20) in a season. Mitchell was second in the league in scoring, while Clark was third in scoring and second in assists, and their combined 47 points per game made them the highest-scoring duo ever.
The Fever outscored many opponents en route to a franchise-record 28 wins (helped by the 44-game season), and amid a 10-2 stretch on either side of the All-Star break that included a dramatic overtime win over the Atlanta Dream, they were in the driver's seat for a top-four seed. But they went just 4-4 the rest of the way, dropped to sixth and never got back on track after the World Cup break.
But too often, their defense let them down, as it did in the playoffs against the Aces. Defense has never been a strong suit for Clark or Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston could only do so much on the backline, especially while spending all season dealing with a lower leg injury she sustained in Unrivaled. The Fever's 108.3 defensive rating was the worst mark among playoff teams; they rarely forced turnovers and too often dealt with foul trouble. (The Aces shot 35 free throws in the decisive Game 3, and 89 in the series.)
Key free agent signing Monique Billings was a major disappointment, especially after the team gave her a two-year, $1.6 million deal. She lost her starting spot in August to Makayla Timpson and averaged just 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds. While Timpson showed some real promise, Billings' inability to shore up the frontcourt was a major issue for the Fever this season, especially with Boston's nagging injury. Lexie Hull, who also got two years and just under $1.6 million in free agency, had a tough season as well. She put up just 5.2 points per game on 33.7% from 3-point range, both her worst marks since her second season in the league.
A steady stream of on- and off-court drama often overshadowed the results in Indianapolis this season. As Clark struggled through an early-season slump, a video of her and Stephanite White having a fiery exchange on the bench during a loss to the Portland Fire went viral, and eventually sparked a rumor that White had been fired.
In a late-June game against the Phoenix Mercury, Clark was on the receiving end of what White called "two cheap shots." One, a fist to the throat from Alyssa Thomas was retroactively upgraded to a Flagrant 2, and the other, a landing space foul on Valeriane Ayayi, jarred Clark's back and eventually sidelined her for two weeks. In the aftermath, Thomas was on the receiving end of death threats, which Clark and White both condemned.
Later in the summer, Sophie Cunningham made a series of comments regarding transgender athletes, which turned the league into a political battleground on the issue. There were numerous protests and counterprotests outside Fever games, culminating in former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom showing up to a Fever vs. Sky game in Chicago on Aug. 23 and getting ejected.
"Proud of this group. Obviously weathered a lot, there's always so much outside noise and a microscope of how we perform every single day," Clark said after Thursday's defeat. "Lot of really good moments, lot of tough moments, too, where we felt we gave a lot of opportunities away. That's probably what hurts a little bit."
Now the Fever have to turn the page and look ahead to the offseason.
Season at a glance
- Record: 28-16 (No. 6 seed)
- Offensive rating: 115 (1st)
- Defensive rating: 108.3 (8th)
- Net rating: plus-6.8 (5th)
Biggest strength: Offense
The Fever, led by Clark and Mitchell, produced the best offense in WNBA history this season. Their 115 offensive rating was nearly three points per 100 possessions better than any other team ever. They also had the highest true shooting (60.6%) mark in league history and led the league in 3-point percentage (38.6%).
Mitchell (24.7 points per game) and Clark (22.3) finished second and third, respectively, in scoring, while Clark (8.3 assists per game) finished second in assists. At 47 points per game, Mitchell and Clark were the highest-scoring duo in WNBA history, and Clark was just the third player ever to finish in the top three in both scoring and assists in the same season.
Biggest weakness: Defense
As great as the Fever were offensively, they crashed out of the playoffs early because they could not defend consistently. Their 108.3 defensive rating was the worst mark among playoff teams, and they gave up the third-most shots in the restricted area (24.1 per game) of any team. They were also 11th in opponent turnover rate (16.2%), ninth in opponent turnover rate (0.312) and ninth in opponent free throw rate (0.312). It's hard to win games when you're regularly losing the possession battle and giving up streams of free throws.
Key free agents
- Kelsey Mitchell (unrestricted)
- Sophie Cunningham (unrestricted)
- Tyasha Harris (unrestricted)
- Myisha Hines-Allen (unrestricted)
Biggest question: Will Kelsey Mitchell be back?
The Fever made it their top priority to re-sign Mitchell last offseason and convinced her to remain in Indianapolis, but only on a one-year deal. That means she'll once again be an unrestricted free agent, and the Fever's front office staff will have their work cut out for them again this winter.
In a vacuum, the Fever would love to have Mitchell back. But this Big Three of Clark, Boston and Mitchell has won one playoff series together in three years -- ironically, without Clark last season -- and is going to get extremely expensive once Clark is off her rookie contract, which could happen as soon as this offseason.
Boston has already signed an EPIC (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract) deal that will pay her 20% of the yearly cap until 2029, while Clark will be eligible for the same EPIC extension this offseason by virtue of making the All-WNBA First Team in 2024. (She's almost certainly going to make the First Team again this season.) If Clark signs the EPIC deal and the Fever re-sign Mitchell to a supermax, they would have three players making around 60% of the cap starting in 2027.
Regardless of what number the cap settles at for 2027 -- with revenue sharing, the exact figure is to be determined -- it's very difficult to build a championship team when your cap sheet is that top-heavy and two of those players are poor defenders with some overlapping offensive skillsets. It doesn't help that the Fever are paying $800K apiece to Billings and Hull, who were unplayable at times this season. The Fever would surely love to move on or both of them on this offseason, but what team is going to want that contract without a sweetener from the Fever?
All of which is to say, if Clark signs the EPIC deal, does it make sense to re-sign Mitchell, or would the Fever be better off allocating their resources differently? That is not an easy question to answer, because Mitchell is one of the best scorers in the league, but it's one the Fever will have to consider, especially if they can sign-and-trade Mitchell to avoid losing her for nothing in free agency.
The rest of their free agency process will flow from what happens with Clark's extension and Mitchell's decision.
Cunningham had another great shooting season (41.9% from 3) but faded down the stretch and was a constant source of off-court drama. No one would fault the Fever for wanting to get out of the Cunningham business, though her shooting is not easily replaceable. Harris barely played early in the season, but was pretty reliable down the stretch as a backup point guard. She broke her leg in the regular season finale, however, and it's unclear when she might be healthy again. Hines-Allen didn't do much in the regular season, but she had some nice moments in the playoffs and her experience and energy are valuable. At little more than the minimum, she could be worth bringing back.
Defense, athleticism and frontcourt depth will be the key priorities for the Fever as they look to build out their roster, which is clearly a few pieces away. Finding the right ones to round out the roster will not be easy, however, especially with the Fever's cap situation.
The front office will have to get creative in ways they have not shown a willingness or ability for in recent years.
WNBA Draft outlook
The Fever have their own pick in all three rounds (Nos. 10, 25 and 40 to be exact) in the 2027 WNBA Draft, though No. 10 is likely to be the only one that matters.
Clara Strack, the 6-foot-5 Kentucky center, would make a lot of sense if she's still on the board. She's an elite rim protector and rebounder, which would solve two areas of need for the Fever. And while she hasn't shot the ball well from 3-point range, she has become a willing shooter. Other potential frontcourt options to provide depth behind Boston include a pair of fellow South Carolina Gamecocks, Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts.
If either Oluchi Okananwa or Talaysia Cooper is still on the board, they could certainly be an option as well, given their defensive potential on the wing.
