What's next for the Indiana Fever, needing front office leadership? Key decisions remain
· Yahoo Sports
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever’s front office is empty.
Fever team president Kelly Krauskopf, the person considered the architect of the Indiana Fever, stepped down after 27 years at Pacers Sports and Entertainment on Friday. Later that day, general manager Amber Cox was fired after two seasons.
Visit sportbet.reviews for more information.
Indiana’s front office, which came in with championship aspirations in 2024, has not been up to par in the expectations that come with having the 2023 and 2024 No. 1 picks of Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, respectively, along with a supermax-worthy player in Kelsey Mitchell, on the roster. They finished sixth in the regular-season standings each year, had one trip to the WNBA semifinals, and zero trips to the finals.
Stephanie White, who was hired by Krauskopf and Cox in 2024, remains the coach for now.
So, now what?
Pacers Sports and Entertainment, the organization that oversees the Fever, needs to find someone who will live up to those championship expectations. PS&E CEO Mel Raines said that the organization will conduct a national search for a general manager, but did not put a timeline on when they will have the next front office in place.
The championship window for the Fever, with their big three, is already fading. Indiana is already looking at major cap restraints that come with having three high-caliber players: Boston is owed the supermax, 20% of the team’s salary cap, in 2027, while Clark is eligible for an EPIC extension that can go up to a regular max of 17%. Mitchell will likely command a max contract on the open market. To keep all three of them together, even just for 2027, means that Clark or Mitchell will likely have to take a discount.
The Fever will need a general manager who can, above all, navigate this salary cap situation that they’re in. This person will be someone who can evaluate players to their true worth from a cap perspective, finding people who will fit both financially and alongside Boston and Clark on the court.
This person needs to be able to work directly with Clark and Boston, as well. The two are the cornerstones of the franchise and, assuming the Fever want to keep them around long term, they should have input on offseason dealings.
Potentially even more importantly, the front office needs to have a form of thick skin. As Clark mentioned in her exit interview earlier this month, she recognizes that there’s a microscope around the team because of her. Fans, and detractors, are dialed into this team more than ever, and that comes with more trolls, more bots, and more unsolicited opinions. The general manager needs to recognize how to detach from the social media slop, while also knowing how to maneuver the unwelcome perception the Fever have built around the league.
That perception is pervasive even inside the house: Mitchell said in her exit interview that it’s hard to play for “fans that may or may not like you,” specifically highlighting the nasty DMs she gets from fans throughout the season.
It’s a lot for one person to deal with, and a difficult hire to get right. But if the Fever want to take advantage of this championship window, they need to be right.
What are the Fever general manager’s first steps?
PS&E doesn’t have a specific timeline for naming front-office leaders for the Fever, but based on the offseason calendar, they could take up to six weeks to find the right person.
Free agency will begin in January, with qualifying offers going out to reserved, restricted, and cored free agents around mid-month. Then comes the negotiation period around the last week of January, and the signing period after that.
But Indiana’s general manager (and/or team president) will have some crucial decisions to make immediately once they’re in place.
The first decision comes down to the coach. White is still in her position for now, but anything can happen when a new leadership group gets into place. Take the last leadership cycle, for example: Christie Sides remained the Fever’s coach when Krauskopf returned on Sept. 23, 2024 and Cox was announced as the general manager on Oct. 4, 2024. Just over three weeks later, Sides was fired on Oct. 27, 2024. Then, White was hired as Indiana’s coach on Nov. 1, 2024.
White could definitely stay as coach of the Fever if the leadership wants her to be. But that’s in flux until they make their decision — which likely won’t be until a few weeks after they start.
The next decision comes down to their biggest departing free agent in Mitchell. Cox said Mitchell was the Fever’s No. 1 priority in free agency, but that doesn’t hold much weight now that she’s no longer the decision-maker. The front office will need to decide whether Mitchell is still their true top priority, or if they want to go a different direction.
With that also comes navigating the contracts that are already on the cap sheet. Both Monique Billings and Lexie Hull did not live up to their contract size in 2026, and they’re owed $800,000 and $803,250, respectively, in 2027. The general manager will need to quickly either find trade partners willing to take one or both of the contracts, or find a way to field a competitive team with them still on the books.
There is technically no set time for a general manager to be in place for 2027 free agency. But multiple things need to happen ahead of the free agency period in late January: The general manager needs to make a decision on White’s status, and if the decision is to move away from her, then hire a new coach. Along with decisions on whether to pursue Mitchell, whether to trade Billings or Hull, and which players to target on the trade market or free agency, Indiana would likely want to have the front office in place by early December to give them time for all of these decisions.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at [email protected].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: What's next for the Indiana Fever, needing front office leadership? Key decisions remain