‘It was priority No. 1’: Kelsey Mitchell returns to Indiana Fever

“I’m watching our draft pick right now. I mean, she’s going to be a star,” Krauskopf remembers telling Chatman. “She’s going to be a dynamic guard for us for years to come.”

Seven years later, Mitchell is a star. She’s a two-time All-Star, in fact, making it to the All-Star game in each of the last two campaigns. She finished 10th in MVP voting this past season, proving exactly what Krauskopf predicted — she’s a dynamic guard.

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Now, in a full circle moment, Krauskopf’s first big move running the Indiana Fever again involved Mitchell. This time, it was re-signing the uber-talented ball handler to a new contract. The Next confirmed on Wednesday that Mitchell signed a one-year, supermax deal under the core designation. She is returning to the franchise for 2025 and will be on a protected $249,244 deal.

“Kelsey has been a foundation of our franchise for many years, and we are thrilled to see her return to the Fever,” Krauskopf said in a statement.

Retaining Mitchell was the most important line item on Indiana’s free agency checklist. She is the only starter from last year’s team that saw her contract expire, and the Ohio State product is a great backcourt partner with Caitlin Clark. Their chemistry developed quickly last season and was a guiding factor in the team’s late surge.

Now, Mitchell is back. Next to Clark and Aliyah Boston, the Fever have a strong star trio for new head coach Stephanie White to build the team’s new style of play with.

“It was priority No. 1, re-sign Kelsey,” White told The Next in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. “She’s such an important part of our plan as a staff and what we want to do on both ends of the floor. She’s been such a great ambassador for this franchise, for the city. … I’m excited to think about the X’s and O’s that we can have with her and [Clark] and [Boston] on the floor.”

The on-floor product that White will push the Fever to have was appealing to Mitchell. The Ohio native connected with the new coaching staff in the offseason — something Mitchell said she needed to do without any judgement so she could properly get to know White and company. Those conversations helped focus her mind toward Indiana as her free agency choice.

Mitchell also re-connected with Krauskopf. The seven-year pro was grateful that her relationship with the team president developed during the free agency period — much of the Fever’s leadership changed in the offseason, so communication was key during the free agency process.

A lot went into Mitchell’s decision to stay with the Fever. Her family situation is important, as is her basketball reality and leadership position.

“I think right time and right place. I put in some work with the ladies only a year ago. Obviously, changes were made,” Mitchell began when chatting exclusively with The Next about her free agency decision. “I think there was a lot of good basketball played, and I think that I want to try it again. So that and being close to home. My dynamic is different in family, so to be close to my family, still get one more year at it. To have them support me is a really big deal. So I’m excited.”

Mitchell, who has been playing in China during the offseason, came back to Indianapolis to sign her contract this week. On the day she walked into Gainbridge Fieldhouse to put pen to paper, the two-time All-Star was greeted by dozens of Fever employees. As she walked through the sea of people cheering her on, Mitchell saw Clark on the other end of the crowd. They hugged, and it was a long time coming — Mitchell shared on Wednesday that Clark did some recruiting during the offseason.

“That’s my girl, man,” Mitchell said of Clark. “She’s already put the world on notice. To play alongside her again will be really fun.”

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As for the rest of the group cheering Mitchell on, she said that she felt a bit anxious at first. She didn’t know what was happening. But once it hit Mitchell that she was seeing all the same faces that she’s come to know over the last seven years, Mitchell was excited again. It will soon be eight.

It was then time to actually sign the contract, and one that will pay Mitchell the highest possible salary allowed under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement this season. Most free agents are expected to do what Mitchell (and others) did and sign one-year deals this winter in advance of the WNBA’s next CBA, which is expected to kick in next year.

As Mitchell put pen to paper, her emotions crystallized.

“I felt really comfortable and at peace with my decision. Obviously, the higher power, I talked to him about it, and it came clear to me,” Mitchell said of her emotions while signing her contract. “I was content, really settled in about my decision.”

Mitchell expects more up-tempo play from the Indiana Fever this season, a style that she thrives in. She’s looking forward to a hard-playing, gritty Fever team. So far, her conversations with White have been powerful and effective. They’ve watched film together to see where Mitchell’s game can keep flourishing.

“She’s a key cog in everything that we do. Her ability to get downhill, her ability to knock down the 3, to play in transition. I feel like we can get creative in how we get her touches, the ways that we can help her game open up even more. She’s going to be a key in everything that we do,” White said of Mitchell and how she sees the star guard fitting in on the floor this season. “With her and Caitlin and Aaliyah on the floor together and utilizing them in multiple actions, it’s going to be critical. And it’s something that we’ve been looking forward to as a staff. And so to finally have it signed, sealed and delivered, it makes it exciting.”

Mitchell and White sat courtside together at an Indiana Pacers vs. Detroit Pistons game on Wednesday. It was their first of many coming times sharing the hardwood in Gainbridge Fieldhouse now that Mitchell has a new deal with the Indiana Fever. For the team to take a step forward in the coming season, keeping Mitchell was a must.

They got it done. The core designation helped as it made any negotiations easy — Indiana wasn’t going to let Kelsey Mitchell get away. Krauskopf knew how talented the guard could become seven years ago when she was scouting. Now, with the Fever finally ready to be a contender, Krauskopf is back and re-signed Mitchell with her first official move to push Indiana forward.