Fever might be 'cooked' without Kelsey Mitchell, warns former NBA star

Fever might be 'cooked' without Kelsey Mitchell, warns former NBA star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>Kelsey Mitchell's comments on Saturday that she would look to be "selfish" in free agency this offseason should send chills down the spine of every Indiana Fever fan.

>Mitchell's one-year, $1.4 million contract is expiring after her best season yet. The four-time All-Star guard set a new WNBA record for points scored in a season with 1,086, and her 24.7 points per game placed second in the league behind only the MVP favorite A'ja Wilson.

>But Mitchell is looking out for herself in free agency, and the 30-year-old has complete control over her future -- which might be in another locale.

>MORE: Stephanie White gives telling answer about Fever future after playoff disappointment

>Playing for the Fever appears to have worn on Mitchell, who dragged injury-wracked Indiana to the WNBA semifinals in 2025 before this season's first-round exit to Wilson's Las Vegas Aces. She didn't mince words when describing how "hard" it was to play for a franchise that has drawn so much attention since it drafted Caitlin Clark in 2024.

>" Playing with CC and having the eyes that she got, we get a lot of flack for just being on her team," Mitchell said, in another indictment of the Fever's increasingly-scrutinized fanbase.

>The Fever had better hope that Mitchell comes around and ties her future to Indiana. That's according to former NBA point guard Brandon Jennings, who fears that the franchise will be "cooked" if Mitchell walks.

>

The Fever is cooked once Kelsey Mitchell leaves.

— Brandon Jennings (@Tuff__Crowd) October 4, 2026Rising costs in Indiana -- signified by a looming max contract extension for Clark -- mean the Fever will not be able to bring back everybody.

>Mitchell will be one of the most coveted free agents available. She's in her prime and is one of the WNBA's elite scorers; her market will be robust.

>Without Mitchell, even more of the offensive burden will fall to Clark, who played the best basketball of her career in 2026 but continues to struggle with efficiency and turnovers.

>Though maybe, that's what the Fever wants in the end: an ecosystem that ensures Clark is Indiana's first and second options.

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