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- The Indiana Fever have only three players under contract for the 2026 season.
- A new collective bargaining agreement has resulted in most veteran players becoming free agents.
- MVP finalist Kelsey Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent but is eligible to be cored by the team again.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published Oct. 2, 2025. It has been updated following the league and players’ union announcement of a new collective bargaining agreement
With the new collective bargaining agreement finished, all eyes turned toward the 2026 season — which begins for the Indiana Fever on May 9.
Because of the large payday the new CBA promised, nearly every veteran player across the league will be a free agent in some way in 2026. So, the Fever only have three players under contract for next season.
Here’s the state of every Fever player’s contract.
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Caitlin Clark contract, salary
Caitlin Clark is one of three players under an official contract with the Fever in 2026. She will be in the third year of her rookie contract.
Under the old CBA, the Fever would have needed to pick up her rookie contract team option for 2027 ahead of the 2026 season. Now, Clark is eligible for a max extension in 2027 because of her inclusion on the 2024 All-WNBA first team.
Clark is regarded as one of the best players in the league, but she was limited to 13 games because of various injuries in 2025. She averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists this season.
Aliyah Boston contract, salary
Aliyah Boston is another of the three players under contract with the Fever in 2026, as the Fever picked up her team option for the final year of her rookie contract.
Boston had one of the best seasons of her career in 2025, making a case to be an All-WNBA player. She averaged 15 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists and was named an All-Star for the third consecutive season.
Boston’s fourth-year salary will be raised in accordance with the new rookie-scale contract.
Makayla Timpson contract, salary, rookie season with Fever
Makayla Timpson is the final player under contract with the Fever in 2026. She was picked with the No. 19 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, and the only rookie to stick on the roster all season.
Timpson saw her minutes fluctuate throughout the regular season, but she started to get a bigger role with Damiris Dantas out for the playoffs in concussion protocol. She averaged 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game in the regular season.
She played overseas in Turkey during the WNBA offseason.
Lexie Hull’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
After playing all four years of her rookie contract with the Fever, Lexie Hull will enter the 2026 league year as a restricted free agent.
Only players who have exactly four years of service can be restricted free agents, and their team needs to extend them a restricted qualifying offer to activate that clause. Hull would still be able to communicate with other teams as a restricted free agent, but the Fever have the right of first refusal, meaning Indiana is able to match any offer Hull receives. Hull made $88,261 in the fourth year of her rookie contract in 2025.
Hull became a full-time starter for the Fever after Sophie Cunningham’s injury in August, and she is playing through a back injury in the playoffs. She is averaging 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds this season.
Kelsey Mitchell’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Kelsey Mitchell, an MVP finalist this season, will be going into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. She is, however, eligible to be cored again — the requirement limiting core service to players with under six years of service won’t go into effect until 2027.
Mitchell was the Fever’s engine this season, especially in the wake of multiple injuries. She was a consistent player all year, becoming the first in Fever franchise history to average over 20 points per game with 20.2.
She signed a core qualifying offer ahead of the 2025 season, giving her the supermax salary of $249,244. She also got a $20,000 time-off bonus from the Fever spanning this offseason. With the new CBA, Mitchell will likely make over $1 million this season
It would still be possible for Mitchell to leave the Fever if she wanted to, similar to how both Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally orchestrated trades after being cored prior to the 2025 season, but Mitchell has talked highly of coach Stephanie White and her experience this season.
Chloe Bibby’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Chloe Bibby, a 27-year-old rookie, was a midseason addition for the Fever, first signing a seven-day contract July 25. The Fever then signed her to a rest-of-season contract Aug. 1.
She was in and out of the rotation throughout the month before she injured her knee pregame Aug. 22. In early September, she was ruled out for the season. She averaged 3.9 points and 1.2 rebounds in nine games.
Because Bibby has fewer than three years of service, she is a reserved free agent this offseason. The Fever can extend Bibby a reserved qualifying offer, which is a one-year unprotected deal for the league minimum. Bibby could negotiate with the Fever for more money, but she would not be able to negotiate with any other teams.
Natasha Howard’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Natasha Howard, a 12-year league veteran, signed a one-year max deal of $214,466 for the 2025 season. She started every game for the Fever this year, but her minutes fluctuated depending on the opponent and her defensive abilities on the court.
She averaged 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists with Boston as her frontcourt partner this year, and multiple players and coaches on the Fever have talked highly of her veteran experience.
She is an unrestricted free agent heading into the 2026 league year.
Sophie Cunningham’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Cunningham came to the Fever via trade after she signed a one-year extension with the Phoenix Mercury for the 2025 season worth $100,000.
Her season was hampered by injuries, including an ankle injury at the beginning of the season and a torn MCL on Aug. 17 that knocked her out for the rest of the season. She played 30 games this year with 13 starts, averaging 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Cunningham is an unrestricted free agent heading into 2026.
Damiris Dantas’ future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Dantas is in the second year of a two-year contract with the Fever, and her salary for 2025 is $100,000.
She has acted as the backup to Boston in her two years, but she missed all of the playoffs because of a concussion she suffered Sept. 11. She also missed six games in late June/early July to represent Brazil in Americup.
Dantas will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Sydney Colson’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency, ACL injury
Sydney Colson, who signed a one-year deal worth $90,000, came onto the Fever as a depth piece at point guard behind Clark and for a veteran voice for a young team. She had a short starting stint when Clark was injured, then returned to the bench when Aari McDonald signed.
She ended up playing in 30 games, starting six, before she suffered an ACL tear on Aug. 7 and was subsequently declared out for the season. She averaged 2.4 points and 2 assists.
Colson will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. She also has ACL recovery ahead of her, which could knock her out for most, if not all, of the 2026 WNBA season.
Aari McDonald’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
McDonald had a winding road with the Fever, starting with a hardship contract and ending with a rest-of-season contract.
She originally signed to the Fever on an emergency hardship deal June 1 when Clark and Cunningham were both out with injuries. She had to be released after three games on June 13 because both Clark and Cunningham returned, and the Fever were not eligible for an emergency hardship waiver anymore.
She then signed with the Fever on a regular rest-of-season contract June 25, securing her spot through 2025. McDonald then broke a bone in her right foot Aug. 7, putting her out for the rest of the season. She averaged 9.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 2025.
McDonald is an unrestricted free agent heading into 2026.
Odyssey Sims’ future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Odyssey Sims first signed with the Fever on a hardship waiver Aug. 10, coming in with all of Indiana’s top three point guards injured. In total, she made $21,860 from the Fever this season, according to Her Hoop Stats.
She was thrown into the fire as Indiana’s point guard, and after an adjustment period, she started to shine, averaging 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Sims will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Bri Turner’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Turner signed a one-year deal with the Fever for $80,000 as a depth piece in the post, and she got minimal minutes at the beginning of the season. As the year went on and injuries piled up, though, Turner became a crucial piece of the Fever’s defensive rotation.
She eventually was the first player off the bench in the playoffs, giving relief to Howard and bringing defensive intensity to the floor. She averaged 2.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 23 minutes per game in the postseason after averaging 1.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game in the regular season.
Turner is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Shey Peddy’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Shey Peddy was the second hardship signing for the Fever, joining the team Aug. 19 to give the Fever a backup point guard and veteran presence. Peddy has played rotational minutes for the Fever since signing, averaging 5.1 points and 2.1 assists.
Indiana paid Peddy around $15,808 this season, according to Her Hoop Stats. She will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Aerial Powers’ future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Aerial Powers signed to the Indiana Fever on Aug. 23 following Cunningham’s injury to give crucial backup at the wing position. She has been in the rotation ever since, averaging 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds.
She has made $13,249 from the Fever this season, according to Her Hoop Stats. She is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Bree Hall’s future with Fever, WNBA free agency
Bree Hall was the Fever’s No. 20 pick in 2025, but the Fever released her during training camp. She was largely unsigned during the season, but signed a hardship contract with the Golden State Valkyries just before the Fever signed her to a hardship contract Sept. 4.
Hall, who is a depth piece behind Hull and Powers, has gotten minimal minutes throughout the end of the regular season and postseason, only getting in the game in garbage time.
If Hall were signed to a regular rest-of-season contract, she would be a reserved player, similar to Bibby. But because she is with the Fever on hardship, she will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel for Fever Insiders Live.
