A magical season for the Indiana Fever has come to an end with a loss to the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs.
After losing eight of its first nine regular season games, Indiana went 19-12 for the remainder of the year to end an eight-year postseason drought. Disappointing as the early exit may be, the midseason turnaround and ascension of rookie phenom Caitlin Clark are two pillars for the franchise to build upon.
While Clark made plenty of headlines, she was joined by two All-Star teammates in Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. The triumvirate invigorated the Indiana fanbase and brought a different level of excitement on a nightly basis.
The Fever enter the offseason with the right tools to become a perennial contender in the WNBA, but they have a few key questions that must be addressed.
Here is a snapshot of what faces the Fever this offseason, including a critical free agency period.
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Key storyline: Building around Caitlin Clark
Just as Clark made her teammates better, the Fever's roster allowed her to experience success almost immediately.
Clark was one of five lottery picks on the Fever's 2024 roster, a group that also includes Boston, Mitchell, NaLyssa Smith and Katie Lou Samuelson. Indiana's midseason turnaround was a product of a fun uptempo style predicated on pace, space and ball movement.
To help amplify Clark's strengths as a playmaker, Indiana should prioritize shooting and rim-running players capable of finishing in transition. Clark's penetration creates plenty of open looks and her passing creates countless opportunities in the open floor.
As important as it is to build around Clark's offensive strengths, Indiana's path to becoming a contender is predicated on focusing on weaknesses.
An early exit coming at the hands of a physical, experienced Sun team gives the Fever an idea of what to focus on moving forward. Indiana must add players capable of contributing to a defensive identity.
Surrounding Clark with 3-and-D talent and two-way physical wings is a clear path toward another tier of contention. With Boston and Smith, Indiana is set on the interior but could use another post presence similar to Temi Fagbenle.
If Clark makes the expected Year 2 leap, improvement in the margins could allow Indiana to jump from a 20-win team to a squad that can win north of 25 games and finish as one of the league's top four seeds.
MORE: Debunking theory that Caitlin Clark benefits from generous scorekeeping
Fever upcoming free agents
While three of the Fever's 12 players will make free agency decisions in the 2024 offseason, no decision looms larger than Mitchell's.
Mitchell, a two-time All-Star who averaged 19.2 points per game in 2024, played a massive role in Indiana's mid-season turnaround. She has spent the entirety of her career with the Fever but Mitchell's reaction to Indiana hosting the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game has fueled speculation that she could leave as a free agent.
Temi Fagbenle and Erica Wheeler have been big-time contributors in 2024 but Mitchell would leave a void that would be very difficult to fill.
| Unrestricted | Restricted |
| Kelsey Mitchell | Temi Fagbenle |
| Erica Wheeler |
MORE: Updated list of Caitlin Clark's accolades after sterling rookie season
Fever future salaries, roster
As Clark enters the second season of her rookie-scale deal, her salary will rank eighth among the nine players currently on the Fever's books for 2025.
The Fever go into the offseason with over $650,000 in cap space, some of which will be allocated to the draft pick(s) that make next year's roster.
In 2025, a regular max salary is $214,466 while a supermax contract begins at $249,244. With an impending salary cap increase, Indiana could have the financial flexibility to make big roster-building moves.
All figures via Spotrac.
| Player | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | $180,250 | UFA | |
| Damiris Dantas | $100,000 | UFA | |
| NaLyssa Smith | $91,981 | RFA | |
| Lexie Hull | $88,261 | RFA | |
| Aliyah Boston | $83,371 | $94,740 (TO) | RFA |
| Kristy Wallace | $80,823 | RFA | |
| Grace Berger | $79,999 | $90,908 (TO) | RFA |
| Caitlin Clark | $78,066 | $85,673 | $97,582 (TO) |
| Victaria Saxton | $66,710 | $76,240 (TO) | RFA |
| Total | $849,461 | $347,761 | $97,852 |
TO = Team option
UFA = Unrestricted free agent
RFA = Restricted free agent
MORE: Why Caitlin Clark didn't win MVP over A'ja Wilson
Fever 2024 WNBA Draft picks
The Fever own all three of their picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft, with one selection in each round.
Indiana finished with the third-worst record among playoff teams but its draft position will not be finalized until the WNBA announces the draft picks for the expansion Golden State Valkyries.
