The Indiana Fever learned a lot about their roster in 2026. For one, Kelsey Mitchell is one of the most unstoppable scorers in the WNBA. Moreover, having a healthy Caitlin Clark next to Mitchell and Aliyah Boston is pretty awesome. Last but not least, they need a much better supporting cast to get where a team with two consecutive number-one picks needs to be.
So, after a first-round exit, the Fever have to figure out how to do two things this offseason: re-sign Kelsey Mitchell and bring in better role players. Losing Mitchell in unrestricted free agency would be a disaster. But re-signing her to the max contract she would get from any other team in the W would also create issues. The Fever are also paying Boston the EPIC extension she signed before this season and have around $800,000 each tied up in protected veteran contracts for Lexie Hull and Monique Billings, who did not live up to those deals this season. Moreover, Clark is eligible to sign her own EPIC extension.
That would not leave the Fever with many options to build a better supporting cast unless they can dump Billings’s salary in a trade and have faith that Hull can have a better season.
If Clark were willing to play for less money than she deserves, it would give the Fever some more financial flexibility to build a potential contender around her. In her exit interview, she hinted at the possibility of “making sacrifices.”
Caitlin Clark hasn’t committed to signing an EPIC extension yet
The WNBPA fought very hard to give exceptional rookies an opportunity to capitalize on their early career accomplishments. If a player wins an end-of-season award or makes an All-WNBA team, they can renegotiate their contracts instead of being stuck with their cheap rookie contracts while producing like a top-ten player in the league.
Boston was the first player to capitalize on this new opportunity, and Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers can follow suit. Some of them may even feel a responsibility to take advantage of something older players in the league fought so hard to get. But Clark knows that she also has a responsibility to her team.
“For myself, my focus is on winning,” Clark said in her exit interview. “I certainly know what I deserve and what I’m worth, but at the same time, sometimes you have to make sacrifices, and I’m not saying I’m not going to sign it. I’m not saying I am going to sign it.”
No one could possibly blame Clark for signing a bigger contract. She earned the right to do so. Making All-WNBA as a young player in a league full of veteran stars that aren’t going anywhere isn’t easy.
But, with her Nike deal and other brand deals, she could afford not to sign it and give the Fever a chance to improve the team around her.
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