Fever GM Gets Clear About Indiana's Top WNBA Free Agency Priority

Indiana Fever GM Amber Cox already has one impending WNBA free agent in mind she'd like on her team's 2026 roster.

Indiana Fever General Manager Amber Cox speaks during an introductory press conference for forward DeWanna Bonner on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever immediately went from being a perennial bottom-dweller in the WNBA standings to the league's most intriguing team when they selected Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Indiana then capitalized on this intrigue by producing their best season in nearly a decade in 2024, as they made the playoffs. While this doesn't seem like much of an achievement right now, given that Indiana was just one game away from making the WNBA Finals a few days ago, it was a big deal back then.

And while Clark was a huge part of that 2024 success, so was longtime Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, who entered free agency after the year ended.

Indiana Fever president Kelly Krauskopf got crystal clear about how important it was for her team to bring Mitchell back during her appearance on a November 2024 episode of the Locked on Women's Basketball podcast, when she said, "She's our number one priority. Yes, we have the opportunity to core her. And it would be sort of irresponsible for me if we didn't utilize that opportunity."

Sep 30, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) celebrates after making a play against the Las Vegas Aces during the second quarter of game five of the second round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Indiana's front office ultimately got that deal done, re-signing Mitchell to a one-year deal last offseason. And Mitchell was perhaps the most important piece in the Fever's deep run in the 2025 WNBA playoffs.

Fever GM Amber Cox Conveys Kelsey Mitchell's Importance to Fever Team

Now the Fever are in a similar spot as they were last year regarding Mitchell. And their sentiment regarding Mitchell's importance on their roster hasn't changed, which Indiana GM Amber Cox relayed when speaking with the media on October 2.

"I'm going to sound like a broken record from last year. The priority will be Kelsey Mitchell, and making sure she remains in a Fever jersey," Cox said, per a YouTube video from Tony East. "Wow. What a season for her. She laid it all out on the line... Obviously, sad the way that it ended for her in Game 5. But just tremendous.

"[Mitchell] will continue to be a focal point as we enter free agency," she added.

She also added that many current Fever players are a part of their plans for the 2026 season, but there can't be much certainty about the roster right now because of how the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expiring will shift the league's landscape.

Regardless, it's clear that the Fever fans and front office want Mitchell back on this team, and are seemingly willing to move mountains in order to ensure that occurs.