Fever's Kelsey Mitchell Decision Signals Franchise Direction
The Indiana Fever are running it back around their Big Three. The Fever's first moves in WNBA free agency were expected, but nonetheless signal a commitment to the team's existing core.
Specifically as it pertains to Kelsey Mitchell, who unlike fellow All-Stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, was once again a free agent. Indiana was true to its word in making her first priority during this compressed offseason and quickly extended a core qualifying offer to Mitchell, locking her in on a one-year, $1.4 million supermax (if it remains a core designation) while securing exclusive negotiating rights.
In addition, the Fever also made a restricted qualifying offer to Lexie Hull, making her a restricted free agent, meaning the team can match any offer she receives. It seems to be a safe bet the team also views Hull as an integral part of the roster and will retain her services, with her hustle and outside shooting serving as a natural complement to the squad's superstars.
Fever Commit to Building Around Foundation
There had been some concern from fans about how the new collective bargaining agreement could impact the Fever's free agency strategy, as the new "EPIC" provision (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract) makes Boston max-eligible now (she is currently allocated under her existing fourth year option), with Clark reaching that status next season. This means a large portion of the salary cap could be taken up by the team's top three players moving forward.
Clearly the Fever brass believes keeping Mitchell, who has played her entire career in Indiana, and is coming off her best season, is worth having to be more creative in constructing the rest of the roster.
This is something Clark has already made apparent she agrees with, as she had this to say about her backcourt partner while on the call of NBC's NBA coverage:
"You know, our first priority is to sign Kelsey Mitchell back. She was first-team All-WNBA last year; she's kind of my running mate in the backcourt. She makes it really easy for me."
Clark and Mitchell have combined for nearly 40 points per game when sharing the backcourt together.
With Clark back healthy, there is no question that the trio of her, Mitchell and Boston is one of (if not the) strongest foundations in the WNBA. It appears Hull will be remaining alongside the Big Three and the rest of team's decisions will be made from there.
It's hard to argue with the strategy given Mitchell's electric scoring ability, so in this instance, Indiana's offseason is off to a predictably good start.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
Follow robinlundberg