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Kelsey Mitchell is returning for an eighth season with the Indiana Fever.
The Fever announced Wednesday that the team had agreed to terms with the two-time All-Star.
Indiana Fever @IndianaFever
Pacers Sports & Entertainment employees lined the Ascension St. Vincent Entry Pavilion to welcome Kelsey Mitchell back after she re-signed today🔥 <br><br>plus, her backcourt partner Caitlin Clark was there to greet her ❤️ <a href=”https://t.co/VdRgtPVvrL”>pic.twitter.com/VdRgtPVvrL</a>
Mitchell had received the first core player designation of her career earlier this month. The move gave the Fever exclusive negotiating rights and Mitchell a guaranteed supermax salary of $249,000 for the 2025 season, as noted by Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star.
The Fever made the playoffs in 2024 for the first time in eight seasons. Bringing back Mitchell alongside Caitlin Clark means Indiana can keep its backcourt intact as the team builds up to another postseason run this fall.
Both Clark and fellow Fever starter Aliyah Boston celebrated the news of Mitchell’s re-signing Wednesday on social media.
Mitchell has played for the Fever since the organization selected her with the No. 2 pick of the 2018 WNBA draft.
She has missed just five games since her debut and has made 80 straight appearances over the past two seasons. Prior to Clark’s WNBA debut, she had led the team in scoring for five straight seasons.
Mitchell then had the best offensive campaign of her career in 2024 as she, like Clark, averaged 19.2 points per game last season. She shot 46.8 percent from the field, a career-high, while making 40.2 percent of her shots from deep.
She and Clark finished the campaign as the first duo in WNBA history to both make more than 100 three-pointers in the same season, per StatMamba.
Had she been allowed to hit free agency, Mitchell would have been the top name available for WNBA teams looking for backcourt help. After the Fever cored her, she would have had to negotiate a sign-and-trade in order to play for another team in 2025.
Instead, she is now set to return to the Fever, who could potentially use the core designation again ahead of the 2026 season.
NaLyssa Smith and Lexie Hull are also signed through 2025. The biggest turnover in Indiana next season may be the arrival of Stephanie White, who was hired in November to replace former head coach Christie Sides. White will now be tasked with leading a similar roster to a better result than last season’s 20-20 record.
