Fever Keep Foundation Intact With Kelsey Mitchell Free Agency Signing
![Oct 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) take in the game between the Indiana Pacers and the Memphis Grizzlies at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Oct 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) take in the game between the Indiana Pacers and the Memphis Grizzlies at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3614,h_2032,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/womens-fastbreak-on-si/01jjsfjyd29y9xf5m5cc.jpg)
The Indiana Fever didn't need to go star-chasing in WNBA free agency; they just needed to keep the team's existing stars in place. This is because the Fever had already built a foundation, which is the hardest part.
Many franchises go an entire existence without getting to where the Fever are now. And the re-signing of All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell solidified that the squad's core will remain together. Making the core contract Mitchell signed rather appropriate.
she's back 😈
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) January 29, 2025
we have re-signed Kelsey Mitchell.
📝: https://t.co/ZcohWC0SYQ pic.twitter.com/ijmGfaZa1K
Not only does Indiana keep the league's most electrifying backcourt intact (as Mitchell had the best season of her career in flanking Caitlin Clark), but they also boast perhaps the WNBA's strongest Big Three with the aforementioned guard tandem and Aliyah Boston.
However, both Mitchell and Boston can attest to how difficult it is to get to the position the team is currently in. Mitchell just played in her first playoff game last season, despite it being her seventh season. While Boston was the first pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the team still struggled enough in her rookie season to the point where they got the top selection again in 2025.
But those days are now done after the Fever landed Clark and instantly became the most high-profile squad in the WNBA. As a result, they're now a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
The above made Mitchell's decision to stay a "duh", the word Clark used to describe it. Kelsey thrived playing off the attention Caitlin received, leading to the best year of her career and far more eye-balls appreciating how gifted she is as a bucket-getter.
The next step for the Fever should be championships, plural. The team showed it was serious about that goal in overhauling the front office and bringing in Stephanie White as coach to replace Christie Sides.
In other words, the groundwork for a possible future dynasty has been done. Strengthening the defense, depth, and building around the stellar core is what remains.
Because the Fever's foundation is formidable.