When Kelsey Mitchell returned to the Indiana Fever on a one-year supermax contract, the writing on the wall was clear for her: do what is best for her. With exemplary performance in 2025, she did not just run it back, but reached the semifinals and was an MVP finalist. However, with the season over, Indy is back to point zero. But the veteran has revealed her wish for the next season.

“Life is different when family dynamics change. You got to look at your family and who you are and what was built around you is important,” Mitchell told Sue Bird in yesterday’s episode of the Bird’s Eye View with Sue Bird podcast. “But on the flip side of things of like knowing what Indiana means to me, it’s paramount. It’s huge.”

The Fever No. 0 entered free agency for the very first time in her seven-year WNBA career last season when her father passed away in March 2024. For her, family became the topmost priority. However, she returned to continue her basketball legacy in the WNBA but made sure to check on her mother, traveling to Cincinnati, a 2-hour drive from Indianapolis.

Although her father, who coached her through her childhood until she was at Ohio State, wasn’t with her, the shooting guard kept growing with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston alongside her. In fact, the chemistry that the lethal trio had created was one of the major reasons for her return.

Of course, Kelsey Mitchell did not disappoint.

• She led the league in three pointers made with 111,
• She scored the second-most points overall, totaling 890 points,
• Mitchell ranked third in points per game, recording 20.2 points per game,
• She broke a two-decade-long Indiana Fever record set in 2003 by Tamika Catchings with her ppg,
• The Ohio State alum also led the Fever in minutes played with 1,381 minutes, starting all 44 games,
• Mitchell set new franchise records for points scored in a single season,
• She became Indiana’s leader in career three-pointers made with 669, good for the eighth-most in WNBA history,
• Mitchell also set a new franchise record for most 30+ point games across her career, earning her 11th, passing Catchings.

Apart from the records and numbers, she also developed her skills on the court. The Fever did not have Caitlin Clark for most of the season. With her went away the team’s primary point guard. But using her experience of eight years, Mitchell became the ball handler under a new coach in Stephanie White, and an injury-laden squad.

No wonder she is important to Indy. And the way she evolved here, Indy is important to her as well. But, as she said, there are too many what-ifs right now.

“With the CBA and how life is shuffling the deck, it’s like you just don’t know. It’s a lot of what-ifs. But I like to think that, in the right realm of work, I cannot not think about Indiana. On the other side of things, it’s like I’ve got to make sure I’m put in a position to take care of my family or be there for my family… Whoever I talk to, I wanna feel valued there and let it all flow from there.”

The Fever cored Mitchell in January this year with a one-year, supermax deal worth $249,244 after her three-year/ $618,000 contract extension from 2021 expired in 2024. Interestingly, the guard had given the same reasons last season for not signing an extension on time as she did this time.

Possibly, like the last season, the loyal Indy fans can have something to celebrate about when the teams can finally reach out to the players in January to re-negotiate a deal. It is important to note that a team can only core a player for more than two seasons.

So, it’s a waiting game for Mitchell — and the fans that want her back in a Fever jersey.

However, this time around, Mitchell’s personal choices are not the only factors at play that could tip the scales for her.

Why has the WNBA CBA become a talking point for the whole of America?

The current CBA, signed in 2020, was originally scheduled to run through 2027. However, the players’ union (WNBPA) opted out of that agreement in October 2024, accelerating the deadline to October 31, 2025. The fact that the deadline is fast-approaching has heightened urgency this offseason. It’s not just about player contracts and team building, but it’s also about a potentially transformative labor deal.

Currently, the CBA is being debated over issues like salary cap, revenue sharing, and a viable growth model. The WNBA became the fastest-growing brand in the USA in 2024. Consequently, players are demanding higher overall compensation and a more flexible salary cap structure that can grow with the league. The deadlock has been there for a long time, with efforts, like that of the All-Star week, having gone in vain.

The players also want a percentage-of-revenue model like other leagues, something that Adam Silver has hinted he isn’t willing to do. To date, the NBA is a majority playmaker in the W. Understandably, the complicated issue cannot be solved overnight. Like others, Mitchell is right to be skeptical about how things are going to pan out to help her finalize the decision to return to Indiana.

The CBA can end up in a lockout if both parties do not agree to an extension. If they do come to an agreement, player salaries can possibly increase. All are expecting for solution in the next 5 days. Irrespective of the outcome, the Fever will go all out for Kelsey Mitchell as they did last season.