Sue Bird Explains Why Fever Likely Didn't Protect Temi Fagbenle in Expansion Draft
One of the biggest surprises of the Golden State Valkyries WNBA Expansion Draft was that Indiana Fever forward Temi Fagbenle wasn't among the six players protected by the Fever, and was taken by the Valkyries as a result.
Many members of the Fever (including superstar Caitlin Clark) made it clear that they were sad to see Fagbenle — who contributed steady production on both ends and seemed to be an integral piece of the Fever's locker room camaraderie — go.
However, the bottom line is that Fagbenle is around Indiana no longer; which means the Fever will now need to find a way to replace her.
Of course, the most likely way they'll do so is by free agency, which begins in January.
And in a December 11 episode of the "A Touch More" podcast, WNBA legend Sue Bird asserted there's no shortage of free agent options Indiana can choose from.
"The big surprise for most people was that Temi Fagbenle was even available. Obviously it means the Fever didn't protect her," Bird said. "But I don't know, when you look at [having a] new coach, which likely means new style, which means who knows who they value, who they don't value.
"But there’s a lot of, in my opinion, great options at that four spot in free agency for the Fever," Bird continued. "So maybe for Indiana, if was like 'Okay, we have a tough decision to make.' They have a crap-ton of money to use in free agency. So they might be able to replace Temi... in free agency."
Sue Bird reacts to @wnbagoldenstate expansion draft:
— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@VanshayM) December 11, 2024
“The picks that I liked were definitely Kayla Thornton, Cecilia Zandalasini… Monique billings….. the big surprise for most people was that Temi Fagbenle was even available…. But there’s a lot of, in my opinion, great… pic.twitter.com/kTWJTPa3dZ
Therefore, Bird seems to think that the Fever didn't protect Fagbenle because she's more easily replaceable than some of their other players.
Some of the WNBA's top free agent power forwards this offseason are Nneka Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, and Breanna Stewart, just to name a few — all of whom would be a marked upgrade from Fagbenle for Indiana. Though the Fever may have to dip a little deeper into the market to land their roster replacement.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.