Each Waived Fever Player's Case for Development Contract Return
On May 6, the Indiana Fever announced that they had waived three players: Megan McConnell, Jessica Timmons, and Kayana Traylor.
None of these three roster decisions came as a surprise, given that these were the three players on the fringes of Indiana's preseason roster. However, even though Indiana waived them, there's still a good chance that one of these three will be on the team once the regular season begins via a development contract.
we have waived Megan McConnell, Jessica Timmons and Kayana Traylor. pic.twitter.com/JylWu5flsa
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 6, 2026
The Fever still have one development contract available (the other one is being taken by rookie Justine Pissott), which means that a player can compete in up to 12 games while participating in practices and all other team activities. Therefore, one of these three waived players will likely be re-signed to a development contract with the Fever if and when they clear waivers.
But what's the case for each of these three to return?
Before getting into each player, it's worth noting that all three are guards, so this won't be a matter of positional need. They're also all undersized, being listed at either 5'8" or 5'9". But each player does bring something different to the table.
What Each Waived Fever Player Could Offer If Brought Back on Development Contract
Megan McConnell
If you've seen Indiana Pacers guard TJ McConnell play, you can understand where his younger sister, Megan, gets it from. They both have a blue-collar, gritty playing style that means diving after loose balls, playing pesky defense, and impacting the game in ways that don't always show up on the box score.
Sophie Cunningham showed McConnell love during her May 5 "Show Me Something" podcast episode by saying McConnell is a, "scrappy little s***," which was a clear compliment.
This playing style fits the Fever's culture, which could bode well. However, she's the least athletic of these three guards and didn't score a single point in 32 preseason minutes, which means that she isn't a great fit if Indiana wants to prioritize offense with this final development contract spot.
Jessica Timmons
Jessica Timmons is an interesting option because she's arguably the best scorer of the three waived players. She scored 10 points in 14 minutes against the New York Liberty last month and averaged 5.3 points per game in the three preseason contests (38 minutes overall). While she didn't shoot well from three-point range (1 for 7), she is usually more effective from there.
Timmons is physically strong and probably the best natural defender of the three. Therefore, if the Fever want to prioritize physicality with offensive upside, they might go with Timmons.
Kayana Traylor
Traylor is interesting because of how much she resembles Kelsey Mitchell. While Mitchell is more athletic and skilled, Traylor is also left-handed, is shifty, and provide quickness that the other two options don't.
She averaged the most point per game (7.3) between the three waived players during the preseason and is a more consistent, steady offensive contributor than Timmons. She's also a few years older and has professional experience.
Ultimately, the Fever's decision might come down to whether they want to priotize defense and grit (McConnell), physicality and offensive spurts (Timmons), or consistency and experience (Traylor).
Traylor seems like the most likely player to keep around at this point, especially because of how she mirrors Kelsey Mitchell's game. But all three could impact the Fever in different ways, if they receive that development contract.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever 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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