WNBA GMs Sleep on Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever in 2026 Preseason Survey

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever aren't being seen in as positive a light as they were this time last year, according to WNBA GMs.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever entered the 2025 season with a ton of hype.

They were coming off superstar Caitlin Clark's rookie season, where she set numerous records and finished fourth in league MVP voting. Aliyah Boston had cemented herself as one of the WNBA's best centers, Kelsey Mitchell showed she was still in her prime, and Indiana added multiple key players via trade and in free agency, such as Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner, and Sophie Cunningham.

Then Clark missed most of the season with injuries, which seemingly capped the team's potential (not to mention what happened with Bonner's Fever tenure). Yet, Indiana miraculously made it within one game of the WNBA Finals before losing in overtime to the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces.

With Clark now healthy, the Fever keeping almost all of their core players, and head coach Stephanie White back for her second year, it would seem that the Fever are in an even better spot than one year ago.

But that isn't how WNBA GMs see it.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White and guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark's Standing in 2026 WNBA GM Survey Raises Eyebrows

On May 5, the WNBA published an article where they asked the league's GMs 42 questions about the upcoming season. They did this last year, and responses conveyed that Indiana had the most hype out of any team. The same can't be said this year.

Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers received 33% of the votes for the question, "If you were starting a franchise today and could sign any player in the WNBA, who would it be?" which was the most. Caitlin Clark had the second-most, at 20%.

When this same question was asked last year, Clark led all players with 50% of votes.

Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers | IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Aces point guard Chelsea Gray received 73% of the votes for "Who is the best point guard in the WNBA?" Clark had the second-most votes, with 20%. Gray and Clark were tied at 50% last year.

Indiana Fever Seem Slept On With 2026 GM Survey Results

The Fever as a team fared similarly to Clark. Last year, they received 64% of the votes for "Which team made the best overall moves this offseason?", which was the most. But didn't crack the top five this year.

Indiana also had a leading 42% of votes for "Which team will be most improved in 2025?" But weren't one of the top three teams for the same question in 2026 (the winner was Dallas, with 67%).

Let's call it a tuneup for the Fever, but what they could look like at full strength is coming into focushttps://t.co/3pqwWPn6hI

— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) May 3, 2026

The Fever received 75% of the votes for "Which team will be the most fun to watch?" in 2025. This year, they got a meager 29% of votes, which was tied with the Atlanta Dream for second-most. The Wings had 36%.

Perhaps the most surprising of all was the Wings and the Seattle Storm being tied for the most votes for "Which team has the most promising young core?", each getting 31%. Next was the Washington Mystics (23%), then the Fever had 15%.

Indiana got the most votes for this question last year, at 50%.

Ultimately, this preseason survey doesn't mean anything concrete about how the 2026 campaign will go. But perhaps it can give Clark and the rest of her franchise added motivation, especially since they face the Wings on opening night.