Was giving Aliyah Boston a four-year, $6.3 million extension premature? Not necessarily, as the 24-year-old has certainly earned it. However, as the Indiana Fever enter the offseason, the franchise faces a major challenge in keeping its core together. With GM Amber Cox fired and team president Kelly Krauskopf also departing, Indiana must find a way to retain Kelsey Mitchell while navigating the financial implications of Boston’s historic deal and Caitlin Clark’s newly available EPIC extension. That delicate financial balancing act has now drawn a blunt assessment from Annie Costabile.

On the October 23 live stream on No Offseason, The Athletic reporter offered a blunt assessment of the thinking behind Boston’s EPIC extension, suggesting the front office may not have fully considered its impact on the Fever’s other contract priorities.

“I think this is the first step the organization is taking to say, ‘We are going to do everything in our power to keep Kelsey Mitchell,'” Costabile said while discussing the recent shake-up in the Fever front office. “To attract players that, at this current stage, are saying, ‘We don’t want to come there because of the circumstances that surround this organization.’ And so what I’ve been told by multiple sources is that the why behind it wasn’t explained in some of the conversations that happened this morning.”

“But there was an understanding that this is a layered situation. And it goes back to Aliyah Boston’s EPIC provision, which is not to say that she does not deserve this money, but the long game here that the Fever are playing, that Amber was playing as the GM – is she’s putting these pieces together, and the first step, okay, you’re signing Aliyah Boston to this EPIC contract extension,” she further added. “Well, there wasn’t much advanced thought given to how that’s going to impact Kelsey Mitchell’s contract, Caitlin Clark’s contract. So, that’s one thing. You couple that with the statements that were made during the exit interview, that’s another kind of nick to her record.”

Aliyah Boston signed the richest deal in WNBA history ahead of the 2026 season, agreeing to a four-year extension worth $6.3 million under the league’s Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract (EPIC) provision. That structure gave Indiana some immediate flexibility. Boston earned $1 million in 2026, below the $1.19 million maximum she qualified for. However, from 2027 through 2029 she’ll receive 20% of the salary cap annually just as Indiana looks to retain Kelsey Mitchell and prepare for Caitlin Clark’s own lucrative extension.

Clark is now also eligible for an EPIC extension of her own, allowing her to renegotiate the fourth year of her rookie contract and sign an extension. If Indiana wants to keep its young backcourt together for the long term, it will need to account for Clark’s potential salary alongside Boston’s escalating cap hit.

Mitchell’s situation makes the challenge even more immediate. The three-time All-Star is an unrestricted free agent after playing this season on a one-year, $1.4 million supermax contract. Indiana has already made retaining her a priority, and Clark has said she and her teammates will recruit Mitchell “as hard as we can.” Mitchell, however, indicated during her exit interview that she must consider what is best for her career after spending her entire WNBA tenure with Indiana.

The financial difference between staying and leaving could also influence her decision. According to High Post Hoops, the 2027 salary cap could rise by the maximum permitted 13%, increasing from $7 million in 2026 to a projected $7.91 million.

If that projection holds, Mitchell could earn a starting salary of approximately $1.34 million if she leaves Indiana for another team. Staying with the Fever, however, could make her eligible for a supermax starting at around $1.58 million, a difference of roughly $240,000. But while that financial advantage could help Indiana retain Mitchell, the bigger question is whether the Fever can afford to keep their core intact while still leaving enough cap space to bring in additional talent and strengthen the roster around their three-headed monster.

With Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston, the Indiana Fever had the best offensive rating (117.0) in the league this season. Yet they had to exit after losing to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round. So the organisation will look to retain the three big stars, but they also need to allocate some salary cap space to address deficiencies when it comes to frontcourt depth, defense, and perimeter athleticism.