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The Indiana Fever’s offseason just got more interesting. That’s because the latest CBA proposal from the WNBA speeds up the clock on when superstars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston are eligible for max contracts.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the deal on the table from the league allows for All-WNBA First and Second Team players who are still on rookie contracts to become eligible to sign a maximum contract in their 4th year, which applies to both Clark and Boston.
This means that Boston would become max eligible in 2026 (this season) and Clark in 2027, a year earlier than previously expected for both.
One of the advantages the Fever have had from a team building perspective is that both Clark and Boston are on rookie scale contracts, but it appears that is a leg up that will not last for long.
Because of the constraints when it comes to fitting multiple max salaries under the cap, Indiana was inevitably going to face challenges keeping its core together, however, the timeline is now likely to accelerate.
How Does This Impact Fever Free Agency?
It’s impossible to know all the ramifications for Indiana until the CBA is finalized and agreed upon, but it’s safe to assume the franchise will be facing difficult decisions sooner rather than later.
The Fever exercised a fourth-year rookie scale contract option on Boston last April, but Boston becoming max eligible under the terms of a new deal would change her cap hit significantly and thus the flexibility for constructing the rest of the roster if she does get a new contract.
This brings into question Kelsey Mitchell’s free agency first. Though the league has expressed a willingness to discuss core designation rules, as of now the Fever still have the option to core Mitchell again (meaning a one year deal at a max salary), which would make keeping the trio of Clark, Boston, and Mitchell together feasible in the short term—beyond that it would become increasingly difficult if the proposed salary cap of $5.75 million sticks along with max salaries of close to $1.3 million.
Then there are other free agents like Lexie Hull (restricted) and Sophie Cunningham. All signs have pointed to both being back with the team, but the front office could be working with numbers tighter than expected which only increases the uncertainty in what was already an offseason where everything was up in the air.
The Fever are certainly not lacking in top-level talent, which is why this is all a good problem in sense. Still, it seems Indiana is going to have to get very creative whenever the offseason finally starts.
