Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever have been one of the most active WNBA teams during the offseason, bringing champions such as Natasha Howard, Sydney Colson and DeWanna Bonner, as well as retaining key talent such as Kelsey Mitchell. With those moves, Fever put themselves among the top contenders for a title, with Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese admitting that the competition this year will be hard.
In a conversation with WNBA champion Lisa Leslie, Reese commented on Indiana’s signings. “Indiana has just gotten so much stronger, and they are trying to be contenders now, and they kept Kelsey Mitchell,” said Leslie while appearing on Reese’s podcast, Unapologetically Angel.
“They did, yeah, it’s tough,” was Reese’s response to Fever’s offseason. However, Sky’s front office have been busy too. Apart from securing the return of Courtney Vandersloot, they have also signed Kia Nurse, Dana Evans, and Michaela Onyenwere.
On the other hand, the Sky have the third pick overall. UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers is expected to be selected by the Dallas Wings at No.1. Meanwhile, according to ESPN’s analysts, Kiki Iriafen and Azzi Fudd are predicted to be two and third picks.
However, Reese is aiming for the team to get Notre Dame star Olivia Miles.“It’s gonna be interesting with picks too, because Olivia Miles,” Leslie said. “We’re trying to get her,” Reese replied, to which Leslie said: “I know, but she might up that stock. She might end up at two now.”
The Chicago Sky’s offseason
The Sky ended last season with a 13-27 record, not being able to reach the playoffs. However, this season the team will look different, with coach Teresa Weatherspoon being replaced by Tyler Marsh and leading scorer Chennedy Carter out.
Manager Jeff Pagliocca, however, has clearly made an upgrade to help Reese and Kamilla Cardoso in their sophomore season with the recent additions of Vandersloot, Nurse and Evans. But, either way, they are still in need of a point guard.
The Sky urgently need a point guard, but with Iriafen playing power forward and Fudd as a shooting guard, the next available option at the position is Miles. While ESPN initially projected her to go fourth to the Mystics, her impressive performances this college season could make her a strong candidate for Seattle at No. 2.
Stephanie White on Fever’s title aspirations and Caitlin Clark
After reaching the playoffs last season, the Fever front office brought in Stephanie White to replace Christie Sides as head coach. The 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year has already started working with Clark and holds her in high regard. “I compare her work ethic to the only other player I’ve seen work like this, Tamika Catchings, who is one of the all-time greats,” she said recently.
With Bonner, Colson, Howard, and several other new additions to the roster, the Fever are aiming to improve on last season, when they were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs.