Indiana Fever Must Prepare for Free Agency Frenzy After WNBA CBA Deal
The WNBA and the players' association came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement in the wee hours of the morning Wednesday, and thus kicked off what is sure to be wild offseason.
That's because the business typially handled over several months will be truncated into just a few weeks, which means the Indiana Fever front office is about to be very busy.
The first order of business for the Fever will be the expansion drafts for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, as Indiana will have to determine which players to protect from potentially being poached by the WNBA's newest franchises.
Then there is free agency, which will be a frenzy to say the least. Nearly every player in the league who is not on a rookie deal will hit the market, including many key members of last season's Fever squad.
Fortunately, both Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston remain under contract, meaning the team's cornerstones will remain in place—but beyond that it gets very tricky.
Key Fever Players Are Entering Free Agency
Superstar shooting guard Kelsey Mitchell is once again a free agent and will command a maximum salary. The details of the new CBA remain unclear, so it isn't certain whether Indiana can core her again. But under the previous structure they would have the option to sign her to a one-year max deal under that provision, which functions like a franchise tag.
However, making all the money work under the cap (which is now $7 million with supermax salaries at $1.4 million according to reports) could present a challenge, especially if Boston becomes eligible for a max deal a year earlier like previous proposals suggested.
Details of a landmark WNBA collective bargaining agreement, per ESPN sources:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 18, 2026
- New salary cap starting at $7 million, up from $1.5 million
- Average revenue share of nearly 20% across deal
- Supermax starting at $1.4M
- Average salary in range of $600K, minimum above $300K
Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull are also free agents, with Hull being restricted (meaning the Fever can match any offer she receives), so Indiana will have to balance keeping the core of the team together while also evaluating all the other potential fits who will be available, which again includes the vast majority of the league.
Of course, having Clark back healthy already puts them on stronger footing than they were a season ago, when they still made it within game of the WNBA Finals despite a litany of injuries. Though Boston did suffer an injury in Unrivaled and there isn't currently clarity on her status for the start of the 2026 campaign.
Players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next month, per @Spotrac:
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) March 18, 2026
A'ja Wilson
Breanna Stewart
Sabrina Ionescu
Kelsey Plum
Napheesa Collier
Jewell Loyd
Kahleah Copper
Arike Ogunbowale
Jackie Young
Kelsey Mitchell
Sophie Cunningham
Emma Meesseman
Gabby Williams
Satou…
All that's to say there are still a lot of questions surrounding what the Fever roster will look like when the team takes the floor on May 9 in the opener against the Dallas Wings, with the front office facing many decisions between now and then.
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!
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