Uncertainty is becoming the new normal in the WNBA, and few teams are feeling it more than the Indiana Fever. With a cluster of key contributors —from Kelsey Mitchell to Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull —heading into free agency, the franchise is trying to plan for a future that keeps getting pushed further out of reach. The league’s extended labor negotiations have only amplified the tension, and now one coach is pulling back the curtain on what it’s like to navigate a roster and a season that seem to shift by the week.

Stephanie White recently opened up about the strain, offering a candid look at how these delays affect not just players, but the leaders tasked with holding everything together.

In a recent interview with Sue Bird, coach White said, “It’s hard to sit and wait, not knowing the timing of when things are going to shake out. When free agency going to start? When we’re going to be able to know what the calendar looks like. It’s also hard because we have a lot of players that are in and out of market. And so from a scheduling and workout standpoint, you know we schedule a week ahead and schedule a week in advance, and if it’s going to shut down, then we need to shut everything down.”

“Hopefully, we can continue to work with our players that are injured because we have a lot of them in market as well. But it’s very difficult being in limbo. It’s very difficult when you’re talking to your staff, and you don’t really know anything. But at the same time, you know it’s part of the growing process of our league. We certainly understand that, as our staff is mostly former players. We understand that as well. But being in limbo is difficult,” she further added.

Last season for the Fever franchise was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. The team had a roster capable of winning the championship, but season-ending injuries took center stage. The team lost its star player, Clark (right groin), on July 15, while Sydney Colson was sidelined due to an ACL injury.

Aari McDonald, Cunningham, Chloe Bibby, and Damiris Dantas were also caught in this storm, leaving the responsibility to carry the team on Aliyah Boston and Mitchell.

And while the Fever planned to make a full-strength comeback in 2026, that reset has been thrown into uncertainty.

Even with the extension, nothing has been finalised yet, as either side can end the extension if they feel the discussion is unfair, with a 48-hour notice period.

With almost the entire Fever roster becoming free agents, except Caitlin Clark, Boston, and Makayla Timpson, the negotiations are not just affecting the calendar, but every player and coach, who don’t even know what their team would look like, or if there is going to be a 2026 season at all.

While the league has recently released a new revenue-sharing proposal, the numbers have made players more angry than happy.

But until a deal is reached, players and fans can only do what White is doing now: wait, hope, and navigate a future that remains frustratingly on hold.

Kelsey Mitchell Remains Indiana’s Top Priority

Even before the CBA stalled the entire offseason, Indiana made one thing clear: Kelsey Mitchell is still at the center of everything they want to build around Caitlin Clark.

After re-signing the veteran guard to a one-year deal last offseason, Mitchell delivered one of the best campaigns of her career, helping push the Fever to the brink of the WNBA Finals, averaging 20.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. So it’s no surprise that GM Amber Cox wants her back on the team.

“I’m going to sound like a broken record from last year. The priority will be Kelsey Mitchell, and making sure she remains in a Fever jersey,” Cox told reporters back in October.

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While Caitlin Clark’s team wants to sign many players back, even priorities are uncertain right now. Unless a deal is finalized, Indiana’s front office can’t map out anything concrete, not Mitchell’s deal, not roster-building around Clark and Boston. For now, all they can do, like the rest of the league, is brace for whatever comes next.