Fresh off their first-round loss to the Las Vegas Aces in the playoffs, the Indiana Fever are facing offseason questions about how they might improve their roster, with many focusing on the All-Star backcourt of Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark.
During a recent exit interview, Clark addressed her situation with Mitchell. The All-Star guard sent a clear message about how she feels about her teammate, expressing that she is hopeful they will continue as the Fever’s backcourt.
“There’s nobody I would want to share the backcourt with other than her,” she said, in part of her comments, also saying, “She knows how much I love her.
“I know this organization is going to work our butt off to get her back. You know? We’re going to recruit her as hard as we can. … We need her. We love her. … That’s our number one priority and, for myself, my number one priority. I hope for the rest of my career I get to play alongside her. That’s how easy she makes my job,” Clark told reporters.
This past season, Mitchell led the Fever in scoring with 24.7 points per game, followed by Clark’s 22.3 points per game. The two players have also benefited from one another’s presence, as Clark averaged 8.3 assists per game and many times found Mitchell, who reliably knocked down shots or had easy layups.
They made history throughout the season as one of the league’s best backcourts, but then failed to advance past the defending champion Aces in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs.
After playing for the Fever since the 2018 season, Mitchell is entering free agency and said her future was “TBD.” That left the door open for another team to add her to their rotation, and it seems Clark is doing her best to publicly campaign for Mitchell’s return.
Some critics have suggested that it might be best to move on from Mitchell, and she’s now linked to speculation about possibly playing for WNBA teams. In a recent article for The Big Lead, Jordan Tomiyama suggested the Los Angeles Sparks, Toronto Tempo, or the Golden State Valkyries as potential landing spots for the free-agent All-Star.
The first two teams are intriguing as neither was a playoff contender this past season, but could use the help to contend. However, the Valkyries, currently in the WNBA Playoffs, could really upgrade their roster by adding Mitchell’s scoring talents to the lineup.
However, Clark has made it clear that she wants Mitchell to remain her backcourt mate in Indiana, and based on her remarks, the Fever will make a strong push to ensure she remains with the team.
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