Will Indiana Fever make any moves at Thursday’s WNBA trade deadline?

PHOENIX – For the first time in a few years, it has been a slightly active WNBA trade deadline.

Trades are notoriously hard to make midseason in the WNBA because of the hard salary cap. Teams are already juggling with limited money, as players’ salary demands are expanding at a higher rate than the salary cap, and franchises have no option to go over the cap unless there is a hardship situation. 

Still, there have been two trades so far in the week leading up to the trade deadline: the Dallas Wings traded guard DiJonai Carrington to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Diamond Miller and Karlie Samuelson and the Washington Mystics traded All-Star Brittney Sykes to Seattle in exchange for Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke and a 2026 first-round pick. 

Now, the deadline is coming up 3 p.m., Thursday. And it seems like the Indiana Fever are going to stay where they’re at in their roster construction.

The biggest indication Indiana would likely stand pat was the decision to sign forward Chloe Bibby to a rest-of-season deal on Aug. 1. Bibby came to Indiana on July 25 on a seven-day contract, and the Fever could have signed her for up to three seven-day deals this season. 

If the Fever were to have signed Bibby to another seven-day contract on Aug. 1, they would have had a lot more flexibility in possible trade options or roster space. They could have waived her at any point in that seven-day contract with no repercussions if they wanted to make a trade. A seven-day contract would have also given them more cap space to work with.

But Indiana decided to sign Bibby to a rest-of-season contract in the week leading up to the trade deadline, guaranteeing her prorated $23,322 (per Her Hoop Stats) for the rest of the season. 

Bibby fit what the Fever needed, too, and what they would have likely tried to trade for if they decided to be active at the deadline. Indiana has been struggling with post depth this season, with Damiris Dantas and Makayla Timpson going in and out of the rotation, Brianna Turner playing sparingly and DeWanna Bonner leaving the team after nine games. 

Bibby is a stretch four, able to shoot 3-pointers and space out the floor. The Fever were able to get her for a low price with the prorated minimum.

By signing Bibby they filled their final open roster spot. They could waive her in the event of a trade and just eat the cost of her contract, like the Wings did with Teaira McCowan or the Mystics did with Sika Kone.

But then why sign Bibby to a rest-of-season contract instead of a second seven-day in the first place?

The Fever don’t have many trade assets, either, that they would be willing to give up. The only players under contract past 2025 are Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Timpson, and the first two are completely untouchable. Timpson has potential and is under contract through 2028, but she doesn’t have much trade value as she plays limited minutes.

All other players would be seen as rentals to potential trade partners, as they’re going to be free agents at the end of the season.

Indiana has found success with this roster, even with Clark on the sidelines, in recent weeks. The Fever have won five of seven coming out of the All-Star break, and they’re looking like the contenders everyone thought they would be in the preseason.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.