Who might the Indiana Fever sign in WNBA free agency to play with Caitlin Clark?

The Indiana Fever franchise took a step in the right direction in 2024, as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Led by Caitlin Clark, they’re looking for bigger and better things in 2025, and that starts with adding the right pieces around her in WNBA free agency. We’ll look at Indiana’s roster situation, and suggest four targets the teams should pursue. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

The Fever will look to open up the checkbook this winter to improve their team. According to Spotrac, they have the seventh most cap space in the WNBA out of 13 teams. That puts them right in the middle of the pack.

While there are other teams who have the wherewithal to outspend them, it’s possible that certain free agents might take a discount just to play with Caitlin Clark. Indiana became the most popular team in the league in 2024, and that attention might make up for the reduced salary a player might take.

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The Fever will look at how they can improve their team from the outside, but also have a massive decision to make about Kelsey Mitchell. She’s spent all seven years of her WNBA career with Indiana, and averaged a career high in points in 2024. Mitchell is a free agent, and the team will have to figure out how badly they want her back.

Alyssa Thomas might be target number one for the Fever, as she might be a perfect fit with the team. She’s familiar with new Fever head coach Stephanie White, as Thomas played for White with the Connecticut Sun. Maggie Vanoni of Connecticut Insider wrote a piece in October 2023 detailing how the pair rejuvenated the franchise.

Caitlin Clark led the league in total assists and assists per game during the 2024 WNBA season, and Thomas finished a close second. Thomas’ presence with Indiana could mean supreme ball movement on the offensive end. Having Thomas as a playmaker could also relieve pressure on Clark to set her teammates up most trips down the floor.

While the Fever have a few attractive ways to lure Thomas to Indiana, they might come up short in the dollars and cents department. The Connecticut Sun have the second most cap space in the WNBA behind the expansion Golden State Valkyries, so they can comfortably throw more money at Thomas than Indiana can in theory.

Bringing Stewart to the Fever might exhaust nearly all of the Fever’s resources in free agency, but it might be worth it. What Indiana would lack in roster depth might be made up for in star power. Stewart is a three-time WNBA champion, a two-time league MVP, and is in the prime of her career at age 30.

There isn’t one area of the game that Stewart doesn’t positively contribute to. The Fever have talked a big game this offseason about doing what it takes to win a championship, and there’s no more impactful chess piece on the board in WNBA free agency than Stewart.

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Grant Young of Sports Illustrated wrote about Aliyah Boston’s improvement from 2023 to 2024, and there’s no doubt she took a step forward. However, Boston’s ceiling is a bit uncertain at this time, and Stewart’s has been established multiple times over. Boston might benefit from playing with Stewart and learning from one of the game’s best.

We’ve discussed the notion of the Fever taking pressure off of Clark having to handle the ball, and signing Plum would help in that regard. She’s averaged four assists throughout her WNBA career, and has a lot of experience playing for winning teams. She’s a two-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces.

Although she’s still just 30 years old, Plum has been through a lot in her WNBA career, both on and off the floor. She came into the league with a lot of attention, much like Clark has. “Coming out of college, there were a lot of great expectations. I wasn’t prepared to handle the WNBA. I had to learn about basketball again,” she told The Seattle Times in 2022. Clark’s spotlight might be 100 times brighter, but Plum has some idea of what those expectations feel like.

Plum’s game was a lot like Clark’s during her collegiate days. She was an all-time scorer at the University of Washington, but she needed to adjust her game at the next level. That’s a good sign for a potential signing with the Fever, as Plum has already shown a capability and a willingness to do what it takes to win.

It might be one of the most fun pairings in WNBA history. Imagine the Fever brought in the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer to play with someone who might one day grab that record. Diana Taurasi is in the twilight of her career at age 42, but still put up nearly 15 points per game last season with the Phoenix Mercury.

It would be unfair to expect the Taurasi of yesteryear to come in and show out for Indiana, but she could thrive in a limited role. Caitlin Clark will continue to receive the bulk of defensive attention, which should give Taurasi multiple wide open looks for three pointers. That’s still a scary thought for opponents.

Of course, there’s a lot up in the air with Taurasi. The basketball legend might decide to hang up the jersey after a historic career, or she might decide to keep playing in Phoenix, where she’s played her entire life in the WNBA. Taurasi has never backed down from a challenge or the spotlight, though, which keeps the possibility of her signing with Indiana alive and well.

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