Ever since Sophie Cunningham inked her new Indiana Fever contract, there has been a lot of noise about the ifs and buts around it. Most felt this new contract was a personal loss, given her high aspirations. Cunningham reinforced it a bit further recently when asked whether she’s content with her new contract. “Nope, it’s okay, it’s fine,” she said. Now, the Fever guard has delved into those comments a bit deeper while admitting that the Fever wasn’t the only team she could have headed to in this free agency.

Speaking amid the Fever training camp, Cunningham revealed that she had multi-year offers from other teams, but added that she wanted to stay at Indiana because of the emotional rapport she has with the team. “Other places I did,” Cunningham said when asked whether she got offers from other teams.

“I knew there were comments that this was your only offer. No, it wasn’t, of course, Twitter is a toxic place. But I just want to shut that down because that’s not what it was about. I just wanted to be with that group. Because I think the more you can build and have a special group, the more you can stay together, that’s when greatness happens. And so I do think we have something special here,” the Fever guard added.

Now, it’s a known fact that the Fever guard was chasing a lucrative contract in this free agency. In a podcast comment last year, Cunningham clearly stated that she’s eying a lucrative, long-term contract. But her new contract with Fever bore none of that—just over $600K in salary and a one-year tenure, both of which were against her aspirations. On top of that, her latest comments didn’t help clarify the resentful sentiment against the Fever contract.

But now the Fever guard has clearly stated during the interview that they had been misinterpreted. “That’s not what I meant at all,” she said. “If you listen to the full clip, you’ll understand, you really understand that I just wanted to be somewhere for more than one year. I’m almost 30 years old. I want to have a new home. I want to kind of get established, and I would love to get established in a place like Indiana.”

“We had such a great time, and when you find a group of girls who make you fall in love with basketball again, and you enjoy it, you enjoy them not on the court but off the court, you want to hold on to that. And so that’s what I meant,” she added further.

Given her stature as a volume scorer and shooter from the perimeter, it isn’t a surprise that many rallied behind Sophie Cunningham in this free agency. Her career mark of over 40% from the three-point line isn’t just good; it places her among the most efficient and dangerous perimeter threats in the league, a skill set that makes her a coveted asset for any team looking to space the floor in the modern WNBA.

On top of that, her experience fits quite well with teams, as she is considered a veteran who can guide them for years to come. But for Cunningham, she isn’t hesitant to put all these aspirations in the backseat to just play for the Fever. On the surface, it just makes complete sense.

The bond she has with the players on the team, especially the famous Tres Leches pairing of Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull, has been the perfect example of what she has found with the team. And from her assessment, it’s quite understandable that she values it a lot. It means so much to her that she is ready to compromise her career dreams right away.

Of course, a multi-year deal that she was offered would have given Cunningham career stability. And a lucrative contract over $1M would have allowed her to get her hands on the house she has dreamed of for years. But for the Fever guard, she’s banking on another run with the Tres Leches in the 2026 season.

Now that she’s back, the Indiana Fever has found immense depth in the backcourt. It immediately raises the team’s tempo on paper when paired with the franchise’s primary starters, Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. And as a result, Cunningham, too, is quite ready for the season to tip off as soon as possible.

Sophie Cunningham Confident of Indiana Fever’s Ceiling

Cunningham has already seen her second season tip off earlier this week at the Fever training camp. Although it has just been a few days in the camp with her teammates, especially the new ones, the Fever guard is already sensing something special with this bunch of players.

“I think when you have a team like last year’s, it’s just so special, ” Cunningham said. “You realize when people are healthy, what we can do here at Indiana. So, of course, we are all trying to keep our core together. We’re all pretty much back, and so we have new people who are going to help us. And it was a fun offseason, but I’m glad that our core is back.”

Last year, the Indiana Fever had already showcased what they could do even without their franchise star, Caitlin Clark. That belief was forged during last season’s surprising run to the WNBA semifinals, where Cunningham’s veteran leadership and clutch shooting off the bench were instrumental in key moments. Her willingness to sacrifice for another shot with this core group stems directly from that shared success.

And now going into the offseason, the Fever already has a fit Caitlin Clark. It’s true that the team has lost players like Natasha Howard to the Minnesota Lynx. However, the franchise has re-signed most of its players, including Kelsey Mitchell, Cunningham, and Hull. On top of that, the Fever have brought in players like Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen through free agency, and Raven Johnson through the WNBA Draft.

All in all, these new signings, along with the return of the experienced players, make the Fever a Championship-worthy team. But as Cunningham mentioned, everything will depend on the players’ injury status. Furthermore, it will be important to see how this star-studded team can translate its on-paper strength on the hardwood next month.