The Indiana Fever are in a unique spot — nay, predicament — as Sunday’s WNBA trade deadline approaches.
They are playing their best basketball of the season. Tuesday’s win over the Seattle Storm pushed their record to 18-10, good for 5th in the standings, and will look to extend their season-long four-game win streak this weekend at Portland (Friday) and Minnesota (Sunday).
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The Fever are a virtual lock for the playoffs, and with a historically good offense headlined by All-Stars Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, they look the part of a potential title contender.
That being said, this team has needs. Needs that could be addressed ahead of the trade deadline.
Monique Billings and Makayla Timpson have both been trending up in recent weeks, but with Boston still battling a nagging lower right leg injury and the seldom-used Damiris Dantas currently unavailable, the frontcourt would benefit from the addition of another true post player.
Wing is also rather thin with no one really beyond Sophie Cunningham off the bench and Lexie Hull, who has struggled with offensive consistency all season. (Yes, in theory, Justine Pissott could have filled this role, though it would have required a roster move to keep her from the Aces.)
But here’s the rub: WNBA rosters are limited to 12 players (six protected) and the Fever have $6,655 in available cap space, meaning any player exchange would have to involve lesser or matching salaries. Acquiring Napheesa Collier, for instance, would require moving half the roster.
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Indiana also faces a dearth of trade chips.
Clark, Boston and Mitchell are untouchable. Full stop. Move on.
Timpson (under contract through 2028) likely falls into that category, too, as does Hull, who carries a $765,000 cap hit ($803,250 next season).
The Fever have a surplus at guard, but veteran Tyasha Harris is on an expiring deal and rookie Raven Johnson is cheap and under contract for the next two seasons (club option for 2029). The former likely wouldn’t net a worthwhile return; moving the latter makes little sense unless a suitor is willing to overpay.
What about Billings? With how she’s played recently, the 6-4 veteran forward — who still has another season on her contract — could fit with a team looking to add an experienced big … but what would the return be for the Fever? If not a top-6 caliber forward, then what’s the point in subtracting from the frontcourt?
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The most intriguing trade chip: Sophie Cunningham. She’s on an expiring contract and in the midst of a phenomenal season, averaging 9.4 points on 47.5% shooting (44% 3FG) off the bench. Though the 6-1 wing would likely net a decent return, she is the Fever’s most-reliable scorer beyond the top three.
Fever coach Stephanie White deferred to general manager Amber Cox when asked Tuesday if she expected the organization to be active at this year’s deadline. But considering the current constraints, it appears unlikely Indiana will be involved with any significant moves — unless Cox gets creative via a three-team deal or aggressively moves one of the non-big three players listed above.
All that being said, there are some intriguing trade targets the Fever could consider and, just for fun, I ran them through the Spotrac trade machine in an attempt to keep things relatively realistic.
May 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) beats Indiana Fever forward Monique Billings (25) to a rebound in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
This one comes via USA Today’s Mitchell Northam, who listed a potential trade target for each team in his latest power rankings. He wrote, in part: “Los Angeles hasn’t been the best fit for former Stanford star Brink, perhaps a change of scenery could help. … This could be fun, but Brink also won’t be cheap to acquire.”
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A 6-4 forward, Brink is averaging 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds through 19 games for the Sparks, but she’s averaging only 17.7 minutes per game and has been limited by knee injuries the past two seasons. That said, she is shooting the ball at a career-best rate from the field (49.2%) and 3 (34%), and brings a lot of upside.
Brink carries a cap hit of $493,851.
Hull and a pick (or two) could work here. She’s under contract and would help the league’s worst defense, but the Sparks would need to throw in a second player (see below) to get under the cap.
Would Cunningham and a pick (or two) be enough? Eh, probably not. The Sparks probably aren’t interested in a rental, especially with Kelsey Plum reportedly on her way out … and the team well outside the playoff picture. LA also has veteran forwards Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, so it’s unlikely it would be interested in Billings.
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My favorite of the just-make-it-work trade scenarios involved the Fever also acquiring Kate Martin in exchange for Billings or Hull, but they would probably just waive the former Iowa Hawkeye to get their roster under 12.
Toronto Tempo forward Isabelle Harrison (21) goes up for a basket against Indiana Fever forward Makayla Timpson (21) on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, during the first half of a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
OHSportsgirl suggested this one on Twitter. The 6-5 forward is having a great year, averaging 13.8 points and 6.4 rebounds through 16 games. But she was sidelined for Tuesday’s game vs. Minnesota with a knee injury and The Athletic’s Annie Costabile reports the Tempo are looking for a young, elite forward.
Jun 13, 2026; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow (24) drives the ball against Indiana Fever forward Myisha Hines-Allen (2) during the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Lead Fever Insider Chloe Peterson pitched this one. The 2025 first-round pick missed time earlier this summer due to a left leg strain and personal reasons, but has since returned and is averaging 11.1 points and 9 rebounds through 19 games. Morrow averaged 7.7 points and 6.9 boards as a rookie.
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Billings or Hull would be the outgoing trade piece but it’s unlikely that would be enough for Connecticut.
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Just for fun: Collier has a $1.4 million cap hit. The Fever would have to package one high-value protected player (excluding Mitchell and Boston), plus two unprotected players (excluding Clark), and then neither team’s roster would be compliant.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever have needs, but will they be active at WNBA trade deadline?
