Former Fever Foe Could Be Caitlin Clark Backup Option in Free Agency
While the Indiana Fever have appeared to lock down the most important free agent from their roster last season (Kelsey Mitchell), the reality is that they still have plenty of roster spots to fill before the free agency period ends.
There are some obvious positions of need that Indiana must fill. While Makayla Timpson showed flashes during her 2025 rookie campaign, the Fever are going to want someone else as their starting power forward. Aside from that, finding suitable backups for Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Mitchell should also be a top priority.
The good news is that the Fever already have an elite foundation with those three players on their team. However, adding support behind them is still important, particularly identifying the right backup for Clark.
This is why a player like Dana Evans could make a lot of sense.
Why Dana Evans Makes Sense as a Fever Free Agency Fit
Evans is coming off the most successful season of her career. She was traded to the Las Vegas Aces before the 2025 season and became a key part of their championship run—which included eliminating the Fever in the semifinals.
The 27-year-old went on to have a career game in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, where she carried the Aces with 21 points and 4 steals in 26 minutes off the bench.
But even when Evans (who averaged 6.6 points per game last season) isn't producing big scoring numbers, she does everything a team could want from a backup point guard. She sees the floor well, can hit timely shots, and is a great on-ball defender. She has also played Clark tough in the past, particularly when she was with the Chicago Sky in 2024.
In fact, there was one physical exchange between the two that came close to escalating before cooler heads ultimately prevailed. During the first quarter of a contest on June 16, 2024 Evans wrapped up Clark's arm on a drive and the two almost came face-to-face causing teammates to intervene.
While Fever fans likely didn't love Evans in this moment, her competitive fire and refusal to back down would quickly endear her to Indiana's fan base if she were to sign there.
Caitlin Clark gets tangled up with Dana Evans pic.twitter.com/uD8PPoS546
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 16, 2024
And perhaps most importantly of all, Evans likely won't command too much money in free agency. Since the Fever don't have a ton left to spend and still want to find other impact players, adding a proven veteran like Evans with a high, consistent floor could be the key to cementing the necessary depth to make sure the team enters 2026 as complete as it can be.
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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