It was a quiet WNBA trade deadline, with only Kelsey Plum and Aneesah Morrow switching teams. With respect to the Phoenix Mercury and Toronto Tempo, respectively, there weren't any serious moves made by top-contending teams, specifically the Indiana Fever, but maybe they didn't need to.
Indiana is the most-talked-about team in the league for various reasons, some good and some bad. On the basketball side, the Fever have sky-high expectations, so it's only natural to assume that president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf and general manager Amber Cox are doing everything they can to build a championship-level team.
There is at least one area of need that could affect Indiana in the postseason: a lack of depth behind Aliyah Boston.
The lack of frontcourt depth beyond Aliyah Boston doesn't look great on paper
Indiana signed Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen to try to bolster their frontcourt. However, Billings hasn't given Stephanie White's side that much of a boost, and Hines-Allen hasn't been able to carve out a consistent role. Moreover, Damiris Dantas isn't in the rotation.
It would have been ideal for the Fever to acquire a forward who could complement Boston, and this player also would be a serviceable starter if Boston were to miss significant time, as she has this season.
Indiana's defense takes a dip when Boston isn't in the lineup, and the Fever will face tough frontcourts in the postseason, so they need to be prepared because Boston has faced games where she finds herself in foul trouble. There can't be a massive drop-off whenever she's not in a game.
Makayla Timpson could be the answer
Timpson has emerged as the primary backup big for the Fever and has earned twice as many minutes as she did in her rookie season.
White highlighted the second-year forward's development after Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
"She brings something that we don't have, in terms of defensive versatility in that post position," White told reporters, per team video. "Her ability to leap out of the gym, and she's just grown every single game. I'm really proud of her. The game has slowed down. She's finding her spots outside of herself. She is a star in her role, and she's just going to continue to get better."
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell were with White postgame and gave approving nods to their coach's comments, so that's another sign that the team is high on Timpson.
The 2025 second-round pick's box score doesn't jump off the page. She's averaging 4.2 points and four rebounds off 62% shooting. However, as White mentioned, her value is her defensive ability, and her agility gives her an advantage over Hines-Allen and Dantas.
It's why Timpson is sometimes relied upon in the clutch.
However, one issue that could come up is that she's not a 3-point threat. Boston has worked on adding that to her game, but the volume isn't enough for teams to consider it a threat. Both players also don't live in the midrange either.
It feels like the zenith of a Clark-led offense is playing a spread-out offense, where a pick-and-roll can adapt to a threatening pick-and-pop.
That was something Indiana could have added before the WNBA trade deadline, but in fairness to them, they don't have a flexible cap situation.
It has $6 million tied to its roster, and Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Also, the Fever need to remain flexible for the upcoming Clark contract extension.
That doesn't leave White's side with many external options, so it's wise to continue to see what they have in Timpson. If she remains a valuable role player in the postseason, then that's a big win and one less thing to worry about when it comes to the long-term outlook for the franchise.
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