Brianna Turner signing, other small moves solidify Indiana Fever rotation

Yet their last additions and departures are still important, and the team’s rotation appears all but set after their late-February tweaks. Six of the Fever’s 11 players that currently have a contract are new to the franchise as the team moves into a winning-focused era.

The most recent addition for the Fever is frontcourt player Brianna Turner, a two-time All-Defense team member who spent last season with the Chicago Sky but is better known for her prior play with the Phoenix Mercury.

---

Order ‘Becoming Caitlin Clark’ and save 30%

---

Turner, 28, played college basketball in Indiana — specifically at Notre Dame in South Bend. She has a ton of experience at both frontcourt positions, including time as a starting center but also as a four next to the likes of Tina Charles or Brittney Griner. That positional versatility matches a theme from the Indiana Fever in free agency.

Turner fits another free agency theme in the Circle City — she has WNBA Finals experience. The Texas native was a member of Phoenix’s 2021 finals team, and she led the series in rebounds per game at 9.3. Turner joins Fever additions Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham, DeWanna Bonner, and Natasha Howard as newcomers who have played on the biggest stage.

The newly-acquired Cunningham and Turner were teammates with the Mercury and should bring some pre-built chemistry to Indiana. Last year with the Sky, Turner averaged 1.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game — her career numbers are 4.6 and 6.3 in those stats, respectively.

“Throughout her career, Brianna has established herself as an elite defender in the WNBA. She adds depth to our post rotation, bringing exceptional shot blocking and rebounding abilities to our team,” Fever COO and general manager Amber Cox said in a team-issued statement.

Turner fills out the Fever’s frontcourt depth and, for a moment, put the team’s roster up to 12 players. Indiana was over the salary cap at the time. But just a few days later, that changed as one more move made the team’s roster feel more final.

Late in February, Indiana Fever guard Kristy Wallace announced that she would be sitting out the 2025 WNBA season. The three-year pro has been with the organization for the last two campaigns after being acquired in a 2023 trade.

---

Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?

Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week. Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers.

Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.

---

Wallace played in 26 games for the Fever last season but saw her role shrink from starter to bench player to deep reserve. After playing often through early July, the Australian guard only played more than 10 minutes in a game once after July 2. Defense got her on the court, but her play finishing was too inconsistent to earn playing time.

Now, Wallace will sit out the upcoming campaign. her contract will be suspended with Indiana, who will maintain her rights.

“This has not been an easy decision for me, but one that I make knowing it is what is in my best interest at this time,” Wallace said in a team-issued statement. She provided no reasoning for her decision. “I would like to thank the Fever organization for working with me throughout this process, giving me both time and consideration, and for their support of my decision. I look forward to cheering the team on from afar during this upcoming season.”

The Baylor product has averaged 5.8 points per game in her time with the Fever so far. She earned a bronze medal playing for the Opals in the Olympics last summer.

With Wallace out of the mix, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, and Damiris Dantas are the only Indiana Fever players from 2024 still under contract. Between a new coaching staff, a re-shaped front office, and free agency, the Fever will look a lot different this coming season.

Their rotation is taking shape after the Turner signing. Most roles seem clear given the strengths of the players added — and a roster that prioritizes positional versatility, shooting, and open-floor play should be able to put out many lineups featuring countless combinations of players.

---

Add Locked On Women’s Basketball to your daily routine

Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.

---

Clark, Mitchell, and Boston started last season and will do so again this season. In between them, veterans like Bonner and Howard make the most sense. New President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskpf wanted experience in free agency, and those two additions provide it.

“I think that the veteran leadership that Kelsey [Mitchell] was able to provide, we need to help her. We need to add to that,” Krauskopf told reporters in the fall about her offseason hopes. “I do think this team needs a little bit more experience, probably some more size. If you look at the teams that are in the playoffs right now, they’re loaded with players who have been there.”

Hull provides a three-and-D element that fit well with Indiana last season, and she should get minutes often. Dantas is a terrific shooter that adds to most group, and her defense improved last season. Cunningham is similarly gifted as a three-point finisher and is scrappy on the defensive end. Those three seem like safe bets for rotation spots.

That leaves holes for a backup point guard and one more frontcourt player. Turner makes good sense as a reserve four or five next to Dantas or a groups of wings in smaller lineups while Colson could provide a steady hand as a backup point guard — that is on nights when Clark doesn’t play all 40 minutes, something she did three times last season. The star guard had more than 38 minutes of playing time on 11 occasions.

That leaves Jaelyn Brown (or any retained draft pick, but almost certainly not both given the Fever’s distance from the salary cap) as the odd player out. And both options are fine for a Fever team more interested in winning than developing this year. Altogether, it leaves Indiana with a rotation filled with players that are either experienced veterans or young, proven winners — and most of them can play multiple positions.

---

Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?

Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week. Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers.

Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.

---

• Point guard: Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson
• Shooting guard: Kelsey Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham
• Small forward: DeWanna Bonner, Lexie Hull
• Power forward: Natasha Howard, Damiris Dantas
• Center: Aliyah Boston, Brianna Turner

Whether or not each of the above players is technically playing their listed position is a matter of semantics. Hull and Cunningham are wings and can play two through four. Clark, Mitchell, and Colson are ball handlers. Bonner is a wing who can play the four. Dantas, Howard, and Turner can all play four or five. Countless lineup possibilities exist for new head coach Stephanie White, and Indiana might close games with different groups than they start with depending on what is needed during a given game.

“I think we can utilize more versatility, utilize certain players in different ways. I’m a forward-thinking, outside-the-box kind of coach… They are a high IQ team, so also giving them the freedom to make plays like we want to make plays, don’t run plays,” White said when asked how her team will play this coming season.

The Indiana Fever had a very intentional free agency, adding veterans and finals experience. Now that the dust is settled, it’s clear how all the pieces should fit together on the court, too.