Photo by Clay Maxfield
FOR MANY ORGANIZATIONS, the transformation into a title contender can be a slow and arduous one.
The Indiana Fever, a team that snapped a seven-season skid in which it didn’t make the playoffs last year, expedited the building process with a strong offseason that finds it signing veterans who bring experience and a history of winning.
Most of all, Indiana was looking for players to continue to build the culture of a team that is ripe with up-and-coming talent, says Indiana Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf.
“First and foremost, create some consistency and style of play that we want to have,” she says. “When you can build around a point guard that can make other players better and get people the ball on the floor, it’s a great place to start. … Initially, it started with every one of these players having a high level of character and integrity. When shots don’t fall, what do you fall back on? The culture.”
DeWanna Bonner
Earlier this week, the Fever introduced DeWanna Bonner, who signed a one-year deal with the Fever on February 2. Chief operating officer Amber Cox touched on the new star forward’s already-lengthy career.
“I think when we talk about the greatest players in the history of the WNBA, DB doesn’t get mentioned enough. But when you look at her resume, there are very few people who compare to all of the accomplishments that she has put on her resume thus far,” Cox says.
Bonner, a 15-year veteran, brings a wealth of achievements and intangibles needed for a team to level up. As a two-time WNBA champion, she led the Connecticut Sun last season with 15 points per game (PPG) while also averaging six rebounds a game (RPG).
Her ability to spread the defense as a forward/guard will be pivotal to a core made up of Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark. As a key figure in the league’s best defense last year, Bonner will bring the intensity needed to a team that gave up 107.5 PPG last season, the second worst in the WNBA.
Arguably most important of all, Bonner has proven time and time again that she’s a leader and winner. She was one of the main cogs in the Stephanie White-led Connecticut Sun for the last two years, and she has been named an All-Star six times in her career and has participated in the playoffs 14 of her 15 seasons.
Now donning the red, blue, and gold, the goal remains the same for Bonner.
“I want to win,” Bonner says. “I’m a winner. I feel like that’s been where I am my whole career. I don’t see myself taking a step back, and I just feel like adding to what they have that we can take this thing to the next level.”
Natasha Howard
With 11 years of experience and a game that is expected to gel seamlessly alongside Boston’s in the post, Natasha Howard’s championship pedigree is exactly what the Fever were missing this past season. Howard also signed a one-year deal with the Indiana Fever on February 2.
Head coach Stephanie White was there from the start, when the Fever drafted Howard in 2014 and White was serving her first stint as a coach for Indiana.
“You see her continued development,” White says. “Her ability to elevate her game and those around her. That resume, she checks every box. A lot of people want to go to starting in this league as a rookie to winning championships, MVPs, and she took every single step.”
Drafted fifth overall in the first round, Howard played in Indiana for the first two seasons of her career, averaging 7 points and three rebounds as a rookie while playing a role in the franchise’s third trip to the WNBA Finals, where they ultimately lost 3-2 to the Minnesota Lynx.
In 2016, she was traded to the Lynx for Devereaux Peters before going on to suit up for three other teams, most recently the Dallas Wings.
Last season, Howard averaged 17.6 PPG and nearly 7 RPG with Dallas. She was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, and she is a three-time WNBA champion, taking home titles in 2017, 2018, and 2020.
Now on her second stop with Indiana, Howard is a different player than she was 10 years ago, but that won’t stop her from striving toward greatness.
“I’ve grown a lot. I feel like I’m one of the elite players in the league and I’m going to stand on that, keep growing, keep developing as a person and a player so when I retire, I’ll be in the Hall of Fame,” Howard says.
Photo by Clay Maxfield
Other Notable Offseason Moves
- Re-signed Kelsey Mitchell to a core contract. Mitchell is currently the franchise’s second all-time leading scorer with 3,923 points.
- Signed two-time WNBA champion and point guard Sydney Colson
- Received guard Sophie Cunningham via trade with the Phoenix Mercury. Cunningham averaged 8.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG last season while shooting 37.8 percent from 3.
- Traded forward NaLyssa Smith to the Dallas Wings. Smith was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever and averaged 10.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG last season in 40 games played.
- Waived guard Grace Berger
- Waived forward Victaria Saxton
- Mutually parted ways with forward Katie Lou Samuelson. Samuelson played in one season with the Fever last year and averaged 4.3 PPG in 37 games.
