INDIANAPOLIS —Exit interviews on the snoozy, rainy afternoon downtown officially ushered in the 2024 offseason for the Indiana Fever. Despite all the young draft selections the Fever have gotten and retained over the years, the front office does have some roster questions to answer.
The team’s highest-paid and most veteran players, Kelsey Mitchell and Erica Wheeler, have become unrestricted free agents. That removes the right of first refusal for the Fever, meaning other teams can try to poach the vets. The situation gets murky with Indiana being able to core Mitchell (she’d have to stay) or Golden State taking unprotected players in the expansion draft.
The rules of the draft haven’t been communicated to front offices yet, at least that’s what Fever general manager Lin Dunn said this week. But regardless, Mitchell and Wheeler didn’t verbally state any active intent to stay in Indiana Friday. To be fair, it’s only been days into the offseason.
“Definitely a lot of emotions and thoughts that float through my mind,” Mitchell said. “I know that when the time comes and the opportunity is ready for me to make those decisions — obviously I've always had a home in Indy, so it could potentially be a home for me again. But I think right now, the switching dynamic of my family and everything, you know, I gotta do what's best for me.”
“I got to be selfish about that process. When I know, you’ll know,” Mitchell added, smiling.
Mitchell’s father, Mark Mitchell, who coached high schools and at Ohio State when Kelsey played there, died this past March. Following Indiana’s Father’s Day win in June, Mitchell’s first without her dad, she said she was fortunate for the time they did have and shouted out all the great fathers in the stands. Mitchell was indispensable in snapping the Fever’s playoff drought.
Surely, the All-Star is necessary to retain for 2025. She has been in Indiana her whole career.
“I didn't know how I was gonna get through this year,” Mitchell revealed. “I went through a lot internally, a lot of what I went through, I relied on my dad for. Not having that voice, not having that like, sense of connection, physically and or psychologically… that was tough. And so I had a village of other 11 ladies that willed me in a lot of places I didn't think I was capable of going.”
Erica Wheeler’s plan for 2024 offseason, coming back to Fever or not
Erica Wheeler, unlike Mitchell, has bounced around the nation for her whole WNBA career. She went undrafted and made her debut for the New York Liberty in 2015. Before 2023, she’d played with the Atlanta Dream for two seasons, the Los Angeles Sparks for one and the Fever for the other five. And in the last two seasons in Indiana, Wheeler’s role has drastically been changed.
“For the first time in my career, I really don't know,” Wheeler said of offseason plans. “I really just want to spend time with my family. I think we all need a break. I'm gonna probably get off social media for a bit… like Kelsey said, it was a lot… with the eyes. You gotta have thick skin… my thick skin was tested a lot, but same, but, I think for the most part, we was very professional.”
“So really right now, just about my family,” Wheeler added. “I'm not thinking about free agency.”
Wheeler started all 40 games in 2023 as point guard. In 2024, subtract 38 from that. That’s due to Caitlin Clark, but in spite of getting demoted to the bench, Wheeler has outwardly supported Clark every step of the season: from the thrill on draft night, to praise in press conferences, to being on the so-called de-escalation committed to stop Clark from getting more technical fouls.
Clark has applauded Wheeler back, who brought perhaps the most energy on the bench.
Related Indiana Fever NewsArticle continues below
“The ones that came before me — that taught me the way —would be disappointed if I didn't,” Wheeler said of supporting Clark and teammates. “I'm always trying to make the people that helped me along the way proud and my energy just come from my mom… if you go to a family cookout.”
“Yes, the whole family,” Mitchell interrupted.
“It's a burst of energy,” Wheeler continued. “Nobody is really calm, probably the baby, only if they asleep. But other than that, it’s turnt up. But the energy comes from that. And then me just trying to help where I can help. Like I said, I've been in this league for a very long time, 10 years.”
It’s up in the air if that future continues, especially because Wheeler is in the interesting spot of being paid the equivalent of starting money in this league, but the Fever not needing her as much in the starting role. In the second half of the season, however, her efficiency did improve.
“We'll continue to talk to her about her role, how that fits with what she wants to do at this particular time in her career,” Dunn said. “I have an enormous amount of respect for her professionalism, how she handled… provided leadership in the locker room, provided great leadership on the bench… helped us in a lot of ways that maybe you don't see in the stats.”
As of now, Wheeler’s offseason plan is to play in Turkey.
