Candace Parker Predicts Kelsey Mitchell Will Leave Fever in Free Agency For This Team
Now that January 21 has arrived, WNBA free agents can begin negotiating contracts with prospective teams. And on February 1, these players can sign contracts that commit them to new teams for the 2025 season.
All indications are that multiple top-tier free agents will be on the move this offseason. Some of these players who could be playing for new teams in 2025 are Dallas Wings star Satou Sabally and Las Vegas Aces standout Kelsey Plum.
Another prominent player who has been the center of discussion is Indiana Fever forward Kelsey Mitchell. While Mitchell received a core qualifying offer from the Fever earlier this month, if the 29-year-old does not want to play for Indiana next season then she can negotiate a sign-and-trade deal with the Fever, where she'll be sent to another franchise in exchange for players, picks, or financial compensation.
It remains to be seen what Mitchell will want to do. But WNBA legend Candace Parker predicted that she would sign elsewhere as part of a January 21 Instagram segment with B/R W Sports.
When Parker was asked where she thought Mitchell would land this offseason, she said, "I think she'll end up in Golden State."
The prospect of Mitchell potentially heading to the Golden State Valkyries is fascinating. There's no question that she'd immediately become the face of a brand-new franchise, which could be appealing to her.
The downside for Indiana is that the Valkyries don't currently have premiere players to offer in a trade for Mitchell.
They do, however, have Kate Martin, who is Caitlin Clark's best friend. But it's hard to imagine the Fever exchanging Mitchell and Martin straight-up.
Time will tell how accurate Parker's predictions ends up being.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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