After months of Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations between the WNBA and the WNBPA, the 2026 season is set to begin on May 8. That means a whole lot has to happen first, including expansion drafts for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire and the 2026 WNBA Draft.
But free agency will also take place in the middle of the madness, and that's a time period that a lot of players in the league — including Caitlin Clark — are eyeing. During an appearance on the NBC pregame show, Clark spoke about the Fever's biggest priorities as they head into free agency this season.
The Indiana Fever know who they want to prioritize this year
Clark, who missed most of the 2025 season due to a series of injuries that kept her off the court, said on the broadcast that the Fever's goals for this season are largely unchanged from last year's. "I mean we were trying to win it all last year, that's certainly what we're trying to do this year. It's a very unique situation," she began.
Of free agency, Clark explained, "I think there's over a hundred players in the league that are free agents, so we really only know about five people, or three people, that are going to be on our team next year." But she added that the team has a "great core" and also knows who their first identity is: Kelsey Mitchell.
Mitchell, she added, was "First Team All-WNBA last year, kind of my running mate in the back court. She makes it real easy for me."
Caitlin Clark's comments echo those of Amber Cox
Clark's comments indicate the team's free agency plans have remained largely unchanged since the team's general manager Amber Cox said mostly the same thing last October. Mitchell was signed to a one-year supermax agreement with the Fever in 2025, and is a free agent this season.
"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 told reporters at the time. Mitchell was the heart of the Fever last year, and very nearly pushed the team to the WNBA Finals before she suffered a series of cramps during game 5 of the Fever's semifinals matches against the Las Vegas Aces. She was ultimately taken to a local hospital, where she received fluids and recovered from the experience.