After some initial issues last season, the Indiana Fever made the playoffs for the first time since 2016, looking like a team on the way up. With over $650,000 in cap space, they can target some big names to continue to accelerate the organization’s rise.

The issue, though, is whether another star will be able to share the spotlight with Caitlin Clark, and whether there will be enough time on the court for other players to reach their potential. Last year, head coach Christie Sides’ rotations weren’t particularly flexible, with Grace Berger and Victaria Saxton usually spending whole games on the bench; Berger played in only 11 games last season, while Saxton saw action in just nine contests. It’s evident that keeping the two in Indiana is stunting their growth. Unless something changes, it may be better for both sides if the players move on to where they’ll be more appreciated.

For the Fever, this would mean two additional roster spots, which may become crucial since the previous regime dug the team into a bit of a ditch. Their two highest earners are bench players and because their contracts are protected, the financial flexibility of the Fever is limited. While Katie Lou Samuelson is a good locker room presence, the Fever could have an awesome veteran in Erica Wheeler, if they decide to bring back the unrestricted free agent for a much lower annual salary. Samuelson’s on-court production in 2024 did not validate a salary that approaches the range paid to All-Stars. Damiris Dantas, the Fever’s second-highest paid player, had a couple of issues on and off the court last season, so it remains to be seen how she’ll perform if she gets to enjoy a full training camp and good health.

Those are some minor team-building issues to consider. The Fever’s top priority will be bringing back unrestricted free agent Kelsey Mitchell. But, is that the proper decision? Here’s how Indiana will enter free agency, followed by a closer analysis of the tough decisions facing the team:

Facts and figures*

Players under contract (contract status; 2025 salary)

• Aliyah Boston (unprotected; $83,371)
• Grace Berger (unprotected; $79,999)
• Caitlin Clark (unprotected; $78,066)
• Damiris Dantas (protected veteran; $100,000)
• Lexie Hull (protected rookie scale; $88,261)
• Katie Lou Samuelson (protected veteran; $180,250)
• Vicataria Saxton (unprotected; $66,710)
• NaLyssa Smith (protected rookie scale; $91,981)
• Kristy Wallace (protected rookie scale; $80,823)

Free agents (type; 2024 salary)

• Kelsey Mitchell (unrestricted; $212,000)
• Erica Wheeler (unrestricted; $202,154)

Total salary of free agents: $414,154

Total team salary: $849,461

Cap space: $657,639

2025 WNBA Draft picks (2024 salary)

• Round 1, No. 8 ($75,643)
• Round 2, No. 20 ($69,267)
• Round 3, No. 33 ($66,079)

Mitchell is an elite scorer—and should be brought back at all costs

Kelsey Mitchell is coming off the best season of her career, with career highs in points per game (19.2) and field goal percentage (46.8). And she capped it off with the first playoff appearance of her career. Mitchell waited seven long years for her first taste of postseason basketball, exhibiting incredible patience and resilience, which deserve to be rewarded. With Caitlin Clark handling the playmaking, Mitchell can pick her spots and develop into an even more dangerous scorer.

The Fever could then sign Natasha Howard, most recently of the Dallas Wings, to play the 4, draft Ajsa Sivka, a 6-foot-3 19-year-old Slovenian shooting sensation, and hope that their offense makes up for their defensive shortcomings. If the Fever choose to core Mitchell, she could make close to $250,000. Is she worth it? Yes. But, does the move make the most sense for the Fever? It depends.

The Fever also need defense!

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Last year, Lexie Hull was the Fever’s best perimeter defender. She handled the toughest defensive assignments on the wing, while also being a reliable 3-point scorer, which resulted in the best season of her pro career.

Despite Hull’s efforts, the Fever were second-to-last in defensive rating and opposition points per game. Imagine if, instead of bringing back Mitchell, the Fever decided to bring in new head coach Stephanie White’s old acquaintances: the WNBA power couple of DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas. Hull could be moved to the guard position, while NaLyssa Smith would come off the bench and get an advanced basketball education from some of the best forwards in the game.

*Thanks to Her Hoop Stats for all roster information and salary numbers.

As the WNBA prepares for the free agency period to begin, the New York Liberty are going to be busy. The 2024 champions have many expiring contracts, but will also be contenders for some high-ranking free agents.

After a look at where the Liberty stand entering free agency, let’s break down the decisions facing the organization:

Facts and figures*

Players under contract (contract status; 2025 salary)

• Marquesha Davis (unprotected; $71,753)
• Leonie Fiebich (unprotected; $68,595)
• Sabrina Ionescu (unprotected; $208,600)
• Jonquel Jones (protected; $195,000)
• Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (protected veteran; $185,400)
• Nyara Sabally (unprotected; $79,999)

Free agent (type; 2024 salary)

• Kennedy Burke (unrestricted; $76,535)
• Ivana Dojkić (reserved; $64,154)
• Rebekah Gardner (reserved; n/a)
• Marine Johannès (reserved; n/a)
• Jaylyn Sherrod (reserved; $30,488)
• Breanna Stewart (unrestricted; $205,000)
• Courtney Vandersloot (unrestricted; $194,670)
• Han Xu (contract expired)

Total salary of free agents: $570,847

Total team salary: $808,807

Cap space: $698,293

Unsigned draftees (2025 salary)

• Marine Fauthoux ($64,438)

2025 WNBA Draft picks (2025 salary)

• Round 1, No. 7 ($75,643)
• Round 3, No. 38 ($66,079)

NY’s core, qualifying offer decisions

The core designation is something unique to the WNBA. Each team has the capacity to “core” one player on their roster. This means the team holds the exclusive negotiating rights for that player. A specific player can only be cored twice by their team, though. Once those two cores are over, they are ineligible to be cored.

Last season, the Liberty cored Breanna Stewart, and it’s been reported that they plan to do the same this season. As usual, she will likely only sign a one-year deal, not only because she intends to ride out this core designation, but the upcoming CBA negotiations also will contribute to a trend of one-year deals around the league. While Stewie could certainly get the max amount of money New York could offer her, she likely will sign below that in order to help the team sign free agents.

Per Madeline Kenney of the New York Post, in addition to coring Stewart, the Liberty intend to extend qualifying offers to Ivana Dojkić, Rebekah Gardner, Marine Johanès and Jaylyn Sherrod. This means the team will hold the negotiating rights to them.

Can the Liberty lure top free agents?

Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images

Out of all free agency rumors swirling around, one of the most prevalent links the Liberty to Satou Sabally. As the Dallas Wings star revealed in an Unrivaled press conference last week, she has played her last game for Dallas. In order to get as much as they can in exchange for Sabally, Dallas decided to core her, with the intention of working with her to find a good trade.

New York is a good fit for Sabally—for many reasons. The first and most obvious being that her sister Nyara currently plays for Liberty, having gained a larger role on the team in the past year. The sisters are quite close and have played together on other teams before, including in college and also on the German National Team. She could also reunite with Sabrina Ionescu, who she also played with at Oregon. Satou has expressed desire to be on a team that is contending for a championship, as well. New York, having won it all last season and with their Big 3 all (pretty much) locked in for this year, fits that description. Finally, Satou’s position and style would work for the Liberty. She is a dynamic 4, meaning she has the size and strength to play in the post. The Liberty could very easily slide her into a lineup with Vandersloot (if she re-signs), Ionescu, Stewart and Jones.

The question is what New York would have to give up for Sabally. The asset most likely to be traded here is Laney-Hamilton, along with picks or rights to other players that the Liberty own. There could also be a multi-team trade, with another franchise jumping in to make it all work out.

There’s also the question of whether New York re-signs it’s own free agents, such as Vandersloot and Kennedy Burke. If Sloot signs elsewhere, the Liberty might need to prioritize filling the point guard position. Primary ball handlers on the market include the Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell, as well as the Chicago Sky’s Dana Evans, who is a restricted free agent.

So, what’s going to happen?

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

If I had to guess, I’d say the Liberty do things in this order:

• See if they have a chance to re-sign Vandersloot
• Deal with their qualifying offers
• Make Dallas an offer for Sabally and see if something can be figured out
• If Sabally doesn’t get traded to New York, shop the rest of the free agent market
• If Sabally does get traded to New York, address lingering needs with remaining cap space in free agency and then determine how to proceed in the draft

*Thanks to Her Hoop Stats for all roster information and salary numbers.

A sub-.500 season, a superstar saying goodbye (or not?) and a stack of cash big enough for nearly any free agent.

Looking in from the outside, the Phoenix Mercury seem to be trending downwards. However, the desert is anything but dry when it comes to money. They have the opportunity to make waves before the spring, but everything starts with one woman: Diana Taurasi.

Here’s where the Mercury stand entering free agency, followed by a break down of Taurasi’s decision and what could come next for PHX:

Facts and figures*

Players under contract (contract status; 2025 salary)

• Rebecca Allen (protected veteran, $160,000)
• Natasha Cloud (protected veteran; $200,000)
• Kahleah Copper (protected veteran; $248,134)
• Sophie Cunningham (protected veteran, $100,000)

Free agent (type; 2024 salary)

• Amy Atwell (reserved; $9,527)
• Brittney Griner (unrestricted, $150,000)
• Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (reserved; $64,154)
• Natasha Mack (reserved; $64,154)
• Charisma Osborne (reserved; $45,098)
• Diana Taurasi (protected veteran, $234,936)
• Celeste Taylor (reserved; $56,639)

Total salary of free agents: $624,508

Total team salary: $708,134

Cap space: $798,966

2025 WNBA Draft picks (2025 salary)

• Round 1, No. 12 ($72,455)
• Round 2, No. 19 ($69,267)

DT’s decision

Let’s not beat around the bush. The looming question around the Mercury’s offseason is undoubtedly that of the greatest of all time, Diana Taurasi, who brought three championships to the city of Phoenix, may be hanging up her jersey. She hasn’t spoken on her thought process since October, when she signaled that she was still considering her future.

As bright as Taurasi has shined in her career, this decision is not one of life or death for the Mercury. Her efficiency as a shooter has wavered in the past four seasons, and her 14.9 points per game average, while impressive at age 42, was her lowest mark of the last 12 years. She’s taken a back seat not only to Brittney Griner, but also to Kahleah Copper.

If DT laces them up one more time, Phoenix may look for more “win now” moves this offseason. If the 2024 season was it, the Mercury could be more comfortable in their future outlook, and focus on collecting younger players with potential for growth, or tradable assets. They hold final pick of the first round in the 2025 draft due to a pick-swap with the Liberty, in addition to second-round selection. Potentially, the organization could show interest in moving up in a stacked draft class.

Room to build

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Phoenix may not have much draft capital this year, but they certainly have two other luxuries: cap space and money. Only four players are on the payroll going into next season in the desert: Rebecca Allen, Natasha Cloud, Kahleah Copper and Sophie Cunningham. They have nearly $800,000 in cap space next season, which gives way to a number of potential directions for the franchise.

As mentioned before, that direction may be heavily swayed by the White Mamba’s retirement decision. Brittney Griner sits at a crossroads as well. She’s not under contract next year, and could easily explore new options if her running mate calls it quits. Regardless, even if the apocalypse that is losing two of your best three players in one offseason happens to dawn on Phoenix, an intentional tank job just isn’t in the cards. They don’t own their first-round draft pick in 2026, and late-round talent is notoriously unreliable in the WNBA. That means that the Mercury should be spending. The question is, on who?

I would expect Phoenix to target a partial rebuild, refreshing the roster with notably younger talent while still chasing playoff berths. Copper has proven to be a viable offensive engine and go-to scorer, and Cloud and Cunningham are probably above-average role players in the league. They could take a shot at Satou Sabally, but many voices seem to expect Sabally to favor an outright title contender. Gabby Williams isn’t young, but could fit a retooling timeline nicely and offer Copper some shot-creation support if the Mercury were able to pry her away from her Seattle affinities.

Taking shots in the dark at who the Mercury may pursue feels like a somewhat pointless, although fun, game, because they could really do anything given their cap space and roster spots. With that being said, don’t be shocked if Phoenix makes a move on one of the bigger names in free agency, especially if Taurasi and Griner’s nameplates are still hanging up in the Footprint Center locker room come May.

*Thanks to Her Hoop Stats for all roster information and salary numbers.

Reigning EuroLeague Women champion Fenerbahçe Opet will put its undefeated record (7-0) on the line this week against a familiar foe in ZVVZ USK Praha (4-4). This matchup between two of the competition’s annual powerhouses highlights the 10th week of group play and a slate of games that will be split up across three days.

When Fenerbahçe and Praha last met back in Week 7, many fans expected a close, competitive game. That’s exactly what they got, with Fenerbahçe narrowly coming out on top in a 75-71 victory; Emma Meesseman led all scorers with 18 points, while Gabby Williams chipped in 14 points and four steals.

Can Praha even its regular-season series against Fenerbahçe? The Czech club will be at home this time around, which, in an international competition like EuroLeague Women, is an advantage that can’t be discounted. Praha will unfortunately be without guard Maria Conde (13.8 points, five rebounds and 6.4 assists per game), however, after she suffered a lower leg injury last week against Casademont Zaragoza; Conde will be out for 8-12 months, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Praha will need to find a way to replace her all-around production quickly if it’s going to have a chance against Fenerbahçe.

It’s important to note that both Fenerbahçe and fellow Turkish club ÇBK Mersin (9-0) have already qualified for the EuroLeague Women play-ins, as well as the Final Six (essentially a playoff tournament) that will be held in April. According to this season’s competition system, that means there are three more play-in spots in each group that are up for grabs; while the recent drop-out of KGHM BC Polkowice vacated some previous game results (hence the uneven records), FIBA has not mentioned any other disruption of the competition system moving forward.

Wednesday’s clash between Fenerbahçe and Praha is one of several EuroLeague Women games that will be streamed live and for free on the competition’s YouTube channel. FIBA’s designated game of the week between French clubs Tango Bourges Basket (5-4) and Basket Landes (5-4) will be streamed live via DAZN.

Tuesday, January 14

Beretta Famila Schio (6-3) vs. Žabiny Brno (3-6)

When: 11 a.m. ET

Where: Starez Aréna Vodova in Brno-Královo Pole, Czech Republic

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Kitija Laksa, Jasmine Keys, Janelle Salaün, Ivana Dojkić, Dorka Juhász (Beretta Famila Schio); Elissa Cunane, Eliška Hamzová (Žabiny Brno)

Matchup details: Schio completed one of the most thrilling comebacks of the season last week, overcoming a 15-point deficit in the final minute to defeat Bourges. The Italian club now has a golden opportunity to solidify its position as a top-two team in Group E against Brno, which has fallen to the bottom of the group and is unlikely to make the play-ins. Brno put up a good fight against Schio back in Week 8 but was unable to overcome a double-digit halftime deficit despite scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter, and if Salaün and Laksa can repeat their Week 8 performance (41 points and seven 7-pointers combined), the result of the game will likely be the same.

Wednesday, January 15

Perfumerias Avenida (4-5) vs. ÇBK Mersin (9-0)

When: 11 a.m. ET

Where: Servet Tazegül Spor Salonu in Mersin, Turkey

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Sika Koné, Arica Carter (Perfumerias Avenida); Marine Johannès, Natasha Howard, Kayla Thornton, Karlie Samuelson, Bridget Carleton, Yvonne Anderson, Iliana Rupert, Marine Fauthoux, Regan Magarity (ÇBK Mersin)

Matchup details: Avenida is still alive, but barely, with a win over Mersin the first in an unlikely series of events needed for a spot in the play-ins. To be fair, the Spanish club gave it a great try back in Week 8, falling to Mersin by just two points. It seems unlikely, though, that Avenida would be able to repeat such a performance, especially after losing so many of its imports that it had originally signed for this season; on paper, this is the biggest mismatch of the week.

Fenerbahçe Opet (7-0) vs. ZVVZ USK Praha (4-4)

When: 1 p.m. ET

Where: Královka Arena in Prague, Czech Republic

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Ariel Atkins, Emma Meesseman, Tina Charles, Gabby Williams, Nyara Sabally, Julie Allemand, Nikolina Milić, Sevgi Uzun (Fenerbahçe Opet); Ezi Magbegor, Brionna Jones, Maite Cazorla, Valeriane Ayayi, Emese Hof (ZVVZ USK Praha)

Matchup details: There’s no doubt as to which club in Group F is the strongest after last week, when Fenerbahçe handily defeated Valencia 92-56. Will Praha fare any better without its star guard, Conde? Fenerbahçe has only gotten deeper since the last time the two teams met, having added Sabally over the holiday break, though Praha has a tough, physical frontcourt of its own with Magbegor and Jones. The Czech club will need to lean on that duo in the paint and keep the score of the game low; Fenerbahçe is leading EuroLeague Women in scoring by a large margin (83.7 points per game) and is shooting 54.6 percent from the field as a team, and it would be tough for Praha to hang with the champs should the game turn into a shootout.

Basket Landes (5-4) vs. Tango Bourges Basket (5-4)

When: 2 p.m. ET

Where: Palais des Sports du Prado in Bourges, France

How to watch: DAZN

Notable players: Destiny Slocum, Leïla Lacan, Sam Fuehring, Luisa Geiselsöder (Basket Landes); Amy Okonkwo, Morgan Green, Pauline Astier, Kariata Diaby (Tango Bourges Basket)

Matchup details: It seems as if Landes has been playing with fire for much of this season, but despite a 20-point loss to Mersin last week, the French club is still over .500 and in contention in Group E. Bourges is in a similar position, albeit below Landes in the standings despite having an enormous advantage in point differential (+119). This is due to Landes’ head-to-head victory in Week 8; while the result of that game was close (76-73), Bourges never led. While it’s possible that both French teams end up making the play-in, this game is still going to matter in the long run, especially to Landes and its somewhat unlikely story.

Thursday, January 16

Casademont Zaragoza (4-3) vs. Umana Reyer Venezia (3-5)

When: 1 p.m. ET

Where: Palasport Taliercio in Venice, Italy

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Markeisha Gatling, Helena Pueyo, Tanaya Atkinson, Stephanie Mawuli (Casademont Zaragoza); Awak Kuier, Lorela Cubaj, Kamiah Smalls (Umana Reyer Venezia)

Matchup details: Zaragoza earned a huge win last week against Praha and are now in position to clinch a spot in the play-ins with a victory over Venezia. Conversely, Venezia must win this game if it’s going to stay alive; the Italian club hasn’t won a game since late October and has looked overwhelmed against its second-round competition. Venezia will need to do a better job on the boards than it has been. Zaragoza is out-rebounding Venezia 38.7-32 on the season, and as a team seems to prefer a more physical style of play. If shooters like Kuier and Smalls are going to have big performances, now would be a good time.