The Indiana Fever find themselves in an unusual position: they have built a roster around three standout talents, but keeping all of them may soon become financially challenging. With multiple All-Star players, including two who earned All-WNBA honors in 2025, the team’s success on the court is now creating pressure off it. The central issue is simple—how do you retain elite talent when the cost of doing so keeps rising?
This situation is unfolding against the backdrop of a new WNBA collective bargaining agreement that is expected to significantly increase team salary caps to around $7 million. While this change is a positive step for player earnings across the league, it also means that top-tier athletes will command much higher salaries than before. For the Fever, this includes key players like Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston, all of whom are either eligible or soon-to-be eligible for lucrative supermax deals.
Kelsey Mitchell, who is approaching free agency and holds the franchise record for scoring average in a season, could secure a supermax contract worth approximately $1.4 million annually following her All-WNBA First Team selection. Meanwhile, Aliyah Boston is entering the final year of her rookie deal and is already due for a significant pay increase, especially with the league’s average salary projected to climb substantially under the new agreement.
Caitlin Clark’s timeline is slightly different. She won’t be eligible for a supermax contract until 2027, when she reaches the final year of her rookie contract. However, her performance in the upcoming season will be closely watched, particularly after dealing with injuries in her second year. Despite this delay, her long-term value to the team remains undeniable.
If all three players eventually command maximum contracts, the Fever could find themselves with limited financial flexibility to build a competitive supporting cast. While it’s possible that one or more players might accept less than the maximum to help balance the roster, the trend toward higher salaries across the league makes that less likely. This leaves the organization facing a delicate balancing act: retaining its core stars while still maintaining enough depth to compete at the highest level.
