Indiana Fever offseason outlook: Where does Caitlin Clark's team go after injury-riddled, resilient season?

Getty Images

The Indiana Fever won their first playoff series since 2015 this season, and were five minutes away from making it back to the WNBA Finals for the first time since that same year, but fell in overtime in Game 5 of the semifinals to the Las Vegas Aces. Add in their first-ever Commissioner's Cup title and that was the type of campaign everyone in Indianapolis was expecting back in May. The route there was anything but.

The Fever's issues started during the preseason, when Caitlin Clark missed a game due to left quad tightness, and never subsided. Clark was limited to 13 games due to an array of lower-body injuries: left quad, left groin, right groin and left ankle. She never played more than five consecutive games, and didn't play after July 15. When she was on the floor, she rarely looked like her usual self.

Clark was one of five players who suffered season-ending injuries, along with Chloe Bibby (left knee), Sydney Colson (torn ACL), Sophie Cunningham (torn MCL) and Aari McDonald (broken foot). Key free agent acquisition DeWanna Bonner also departed in June after just nine appearances under controversial circumstances. They didn't have a single starting lineup play more than nine games together and 18 different players appeared in at least one game.

Caitlin Clark's injury-plagued sophomore season was a disaster for the WNBA, the Fever and herself

Jack Maloney

The Fever were a completely different team in the playoffs than they were on opening night, but they were still a very competitive group. Odyssey Sims, Aerial Powers and Shey Peddy arrived on hardship contracts and brought experience and toughness, while Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston led the way at an All-WNBA level.

In the first round, they lost Game 1 to the Atlanta Dream, then won the next two to become the first lower seed to advance since the WNBA went back to best-of-three series in the first round in 2022. Boston's game-winner in the closing seconds of Game 3 completed an incredible last-minute comeback.

They carried that momentum into the semifinals, when Mitchell led a stunning upset in Game 1 against the Las Vegas Aces with a playoff-career-high 34 points. After losing Games 2 and 3, they kept their season alive with a Game 4 victory to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Las Vegas. No one gave them any chance, especially after Mitchell left with rhabdomyolisis in the third quarter, but they somehow managed to force overtime. The extra frame proved to be a step too far, but the Fever could walk off the court with their heads held high.

"[The season] revealed the kind of character we had -- the toughness, the relentless spirit, the flexibility, the versatility, the coachability," said coach Stephanie White, after her first season back with the organization.

This season did not go to plan in Indianapolis, but it was still their most successful campaign in a decade and re-established the Fever as one of the league's premier franchises. The question now, for White and the front office, is how do they build on it?

Season at a glance

Record: 24-20 (No. 6 seed)
Offensive rating: 106.2 (3rd)
Defensive rating: 101.8 (7th)
Net rating: plus-4.5 (4th)

Biggest strength

Resilience
Despite all of their injuries, the Fever did a lot of things well on the court this season, particularly on the offensive end. They were third in offensive rating (106.2), second in points in the paint per game (40.3) and fourth in 3-point percentage (34.6%). This team's biggest strength, however, was its resilience. Time and again they faced setbacks, and no one would have blamed them if they had packed it in in the second half of the season. Instead, they kept on fighting, and not only made the playoffs, but won three consecutive elimination games to get to Game 5 of the semis.

Biggest weakness

Health
The Fever just could not stay healthy. Bibby, Clark, Colson, Cunningham and McDonald all went down with season-ending injuries, and come playoff time there were more issues. Damiris Dantas ended up missing the entire postseason due to a concussion, while Mitchell had to be helped off the floor in the third quarter of Game 5. After seeing how far the Fever got anyway, it's hard not to imagine what this team could have done if fully healthy.

Key free agents

Sydney Colson (unrestricted)
Sophie Cunningham (unrestricted)
Damiris Dantas (unrestricted)
Natasha Howard (unrestricted)
Lexie Hull (restricted)
Aari McDonald (unrestricted)
Kelsey Mitchell (unrestricted)
Odyssey Sims (unrestricted)

This offseason will be unlike anything we've seen in WNBA history. Kalani Brown and Lexie Brown are the only players not on rookie scale contracts under contract for 2026. It's still unclear when free agency will actually happen due to the ongoing labor fight between the WNBPA and the league, but whenever it does begin, it's going to be mayhem. Every single team will have an abundance of cap space and roster spots.

That includes the Fever, who only have three players under contract for 2026: Boston, Clark and Makayla Timpson. Boston is the only one owed guaranteed money, but Clark will obviously be on the team, and Timpson should be as well after showing some flashes during her rookie campaign.

Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent for the second year in a row, and once again Fever general manager Amber Cox made it clear that the team will do everything in its power to bring her back. "I'm going to sound like a broken record from last year. The priority will be Kelsey Mitchell, and making sure she remains in a Fever jersey," Cox said during her exit interview. Mitchell, for her part, did not make any promises, but did praise the city and the organization.

"I will say, it's gonna be a lot to talk about because I have so much love and so much aspiration for this place," Mitchell said. "When the time is right, the great conversations will be had, but Indy is like my second family. Everything I've been through the last eight years, I don't think there was any other place that was greater for me."

The Fever's offseason plans hinge on Mitchell's decision. If she returns, the Fever will have one of the best cores in the league in her, Clark and Boston, and will be able to focus on filling out the roster around them. If she leaves, the Fever will have to figure out how to replace her perimeter scoring, and may need to chase another star before they can fill out the rest of the roster.

Mitchell re-signing with the Fever feels like the most likely outcome, but there are no guarantees in free agency.

Hull is a restricted free agent, so she will almost certainly be back, and Cunningham expressed interest in returning as well. As for the rest of the Fever's free agents, the future is not so clear. Will the Fever attempt to bring back much of the same group and bank on continuity and better health? Or will they look to upgrade some spots? And what about the midseason arrivals? There isn't room for all of them, and some, such as McDonald and Sims, may have played themselves into bigger roles elsewhere.

Until the new CBA is in place and we know the rules for free agency, as well as key numbers such as the 2026 salary cap and the new maximum, minimum and rookie salaries, it's too difficult to predict exactly what the Fever will do, but with the infrastructure they've built, they should be a primary free agent destination.

Clark and Boston are two of the best young players in the league, White is an elite coach, they have a rabid fanbase and ownership has shown a real commitment to the team. Notably, a $78 million training facility will open ahead of the 2027 season.

Draft outlook

Nos. 10, 25 and 40

The Fever own all of their draft picks this year, but their first-round selection at No. 10 overall is by far the most meaningful. Late second- and third-round picks rarely even make rosters, let alone become contributors. We'll have to wait and see what the Fever do in free agency to know what their biggest needs will be come draft day, but here's a look at some players who might be available at No. 10 and would be good fits alongside Clark and Boston.

Gianna Kneepkens -- F, UCLA

Clark is at her best playing with floor spacers around her, and few players do that better than Kneepkens, who transferred to UCLA for her fifth and final collegiate season. During her four seasons at Utah, she went 248 of 574 (43.2%) from behind the arc. Last season was particularly impressive as she shot 44.8% on a career-high 6.8 attempts per game.

Yarden Garzon -- F, Maryland

Garzon, who transferred from Indiana to Maryland this summer, is an elite shooter from behind the arc. During her three seasons with the Hoosiers, she made 220 of 516 (42.6%) of her 3-point attempts. Standing 6-foot-3, Garzon also has excellent size on the wing and can play multiple positions.

Janiah Barker -- F, Tennessee

Barker transferred to Tennessee in the offseason, which will be her third school in as many years. She won Sixth Woman of the Year last season for UCLA in the Big Ten, and is an incredible athlete who looks like a potential lottery pick at her beest. However, she has been too inconsistent throughout her career, and her 3-point shooting fell off a cliff last season. At No. 10, she could be a high-upside swing for the Fever.