The Indiana Fever might be eyeing Tennessee transfer Janiah Barker in 2026 — and adding the 6'4" forward would be a powerful move that would likely be popular with fans of both teams. Rumors that the Fever are interested in Barker kicked into overdrive after coach Stephanie White was spotted at Tennessee's game against Stanford last night (a game the Lady Vols won 65-62).
Barker, who transferred to Tennessee from UCLA, is already being projected to be drafted in the first round in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Some mock drafts have her going to the Atlanta Dream, which is only a handful of hours from where she's playing in Knoxville now.
And though that would be a pretty solid fit for Barker, landing at the Fever would be pretty legendary. But any team that hopes to draft Barker will likely have to make a few deals to pull it off, as her skill set and size have made her a strong prospect for the WNBA throughout her collegiate career.
Janiah Barker is already putting in a strong 2025-26 season
We're only a month into the college season, but Barker is already putting up strong — and perhaps more importantly, consistent — numbers. She's averaging 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds on 49% shooting from the field and has a 3-point percentage of 35.3%. She racked up 25 points during the Lady Vols' November 30 game against her former school, and landed 10 points during the Stanford game.
Though some thought Barker snubbed her former coach Cori close during the November 30 game (she appeared to pull away from Close, who seemed to move into hug her), Barker later wrote on X, "Respect! We shook hands. I wish nothing but the best for Coach (Cori) and my UCLA fam."
Close also had only positive things to say about Barker in the postgame press conference. She told reporters, "I want to wish Janiah Barker nothing but the best. I think she is a spectacular player, she gave us a lot on the court, off the court. And I just want to make sure that I say I wish her nothing but the best the rest of the way through."
Barker's departure from UCLA wasn't exactly a surprise to fans who followed the team last season, as she spent a good bit of time coming off the bench. Presumably, she transferred to Tennessee in part to get more playing time, something that appears to be paying off for her. So far this season, Barker has played an average of 22.5 minutes across 7 games.