Why Indiana Fever Are Unlikely to Make Major Trade

Don't expect the Indiana Fever to make much noise before the August 2 WNBA trade deadline.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White walks during a game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the August 2 WNBA trade deadline less than a week away, there has been a lot of chatter around the league about which teams might make trades to either help them win this season or set them up to win in the future.

If the Indiana Fever are to make a trade, it's unlikely to be anything extraordinary. In fact, it's unlikely the Fever make any deal before the trade deadline for a few reasons.

Why the Fever's Trade Outlook Isn't Bright

Perhaps the biggest reason why the Fever probably won't make a major acquisition before August 2 is that they're out of cap space. This means they'd have to send out salary that equals any coming in, which would make taking in a player on a significant deal unlikely given they almost surely will not be parting with any of their core players.

Indiana Fever COO and General Manager Amber Cox introduces guard Sophie Cunningham to the media. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Fever also have a full roster with all the contracts committed to the cap. So if they were to acquire more players than they sent out they would have to waive someone and still eat the money. Not to mention, their current position in the standings means any draft pick the team has to offer probably won't be too enticing for a prospective trade.

All that leads to another question: Why would the Fever trade pieces of a roster that's clearly working?

Why That Trade Outlook Isn't a Bad Thing

Two things are true: The Fever aren't going to want to trade any of their key players, and those who aren't key players for the team probably aren't going to warrant much value on the open market.

So why would the Fever even try to execute a trade? The team is humming right now, entering the season's second half on a three-game winning streak and having won five of their past six. Their chemistry seems to be in full gear right now, and adding another player to that mix could muddy things. That isn't a risk Indiana would want to take, especially given the other aforementioned hurdles that would come when trying to make a trade.

The Fever's front office isn't just going to make a trade for the sake of doing so. If you have to get this team closer to a championship—and in this case, keeping the current roster together might be the best means of making that happen.

Sometimes less is more. And the Fever seem to be in this situation regarding their current roster.