Injury-Riddled Fever Could Seek Hardship Help After Clark, Colson, Cunningham Go Down

After Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham joined Caitlin Clark on the injured list, the Indiana Fever may need to fill the empty roster spots with emergency hardship contracts.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) is helped off the court after an injury Friday, May 30, 2025, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Connecticut Sun defeated the Indiana Fever, 85-83. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever’s backcourt continues to thin after a brutal Friday night matchup against the Connecticut Sun, where both Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham exited the game with injuries. The losses come at a particularly tough time for Indiana, as the team is already missing its floor general Caitlin Clark, who remains out with a left quad strain.

The Connecticut Sun — the last winless team in 2025 — is winless no more.

The Fever, meanwhile, have lost three straight, and now face injury concerns with Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson. https://t.co/B5kjqLOm8F

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) May 31, 2025

With Clark expected to be sidelined for at least another week, and now uncertainty around Colson and Cunningham’s recoveries, Indiana’s depth at the guard position has hit a critical low—with only eight currently healthy players remaining on the roster. If Colson and Cunningham are ruled out for an extended stretch, the Fever could become eligible to apply for an emergency hardship contract—a short-term roster exemption that would allow the team to sign additional help.

According to HerHoopStats–at the discretion of the league-a team is allowed to sign as many players as needed to fill a ten player roster under an emergency hardship contract. Once approved by the league, the team can sign a replacement player—often a veteran free agent or standout from training camp. Then as the injured players return to play, the team must terminate those replacement contracts to remain at ten players until at least ten non-replacement players are available. 

On WNBA hardship contracts, per HerHoopStats:

"What are hardship and emergency hardship exceptions?
Teams can become eligible to sign players to replacement contracts if they qualify for either a hardship exception or an emergency hardship exception. The basic hardship…

— Stavros (@StavrosForever) May 31, 2025

In Indiana’s case, with three players now potentially sidelined, the team appears likely to land within the parameters of the WNBA’s eligibility. Without a strong ball-handler, coach Stephanie White and the front office could decide to to fortify the backcourt with a stopgap at point guard to help steady the playmaking duties while Clark and others recover.

The Fever could consider calling up a free agent familiar with orchestrating an offense or even look to recent draftees who were cut in training camp but showed promise.

Compile list of hardship players here.

— Jess (@FeverBandwagon) May 31, 2025

But, the clock is ticking—with Indiana scheduled to take the court Tuesday to run it back with the Washington Mystics—an emergency hardship contract may be the only option left to fill the current roster gaps.

Whether or not Indiana is allowed to make a move is dependent on the medical status of Colson and Cunningham. But for now, the injury bug has officially hit Indianapolis, so the Fever need to plan accordingly.