Caitlin Clark's EPIC decision looms over Fever's 2027 contract picture

Indiana has seven players and about $4.5 million committed for 2027, with Caitlin Clark eligible for an EPIC extension and Kelsey Mitchell headed to unrestricted free agency.

A first-round exit from the WNBA playoffs has turned the Indiana Fever's attention to 2027, when seven players are signed and roughly $4.5 million of cap room is already committed, just under two-thirds of the total. Fielding a roster deep enough to contend may require revisiting some deals. Salary figures are from Her Hoop Stats.

Caitlin Clark enters the final year of her rookie deal in 2027 after Indiana exercised its team option ahead of the 2026 season. She is scheduled for $597,596 but can negotiate an EPIC extension (exceptional performance on initial contract) beforehand. The provision lets a fourth-year rookie salary be renegotiated to the standard max for players who made an All-WNBA team in their first three seasons, or the supermax for a WNBA MVP. Clark qualified via a first-team All-WNBA nod as a 2024 rookie, with another first-team nod likely in 2026.

An EPIC deal would lift Clark to the league max, 17% of the cap, in 2027 and add three years that can each reach the 20% supermax, tying her to Indiana through at least 2030. Without it, she would earn the $597,596 rookie salary in 2027 while the Fever keep her rights through 2029: restricted free agency in 2028, when Indiana could match outside offers, then core eligibility in 2029.

Aliyah Boston, a second-team All-WNBA selection in 2025, signed her EPIC extension before the 2026 season and is contracted through 2029. She accepted $1 million in 2026, a modest cut freeing room for Indiana's other offseason moves, and will earn the supermax, 20% of the cap, from 2027 through 2029. That figure stood at $1.4 million in 2026 and rises yearly by the same percentage as the cap, between 3% and 10%.

Kelsey Mitchell, who has spent all nine of her professional seasons in Indiana, becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027. The Fever cored her in each of the past two years at the supermax, paying $250,000 in 2025 and $1.4 million in 2026. That core designation is now exhausted, leaving her able to negotiate with any team for the first time in her career.

The front office wants Mitchell, Clark and Boston to stay together, but costs climb quickly: Boston already takes 20% of the cap, other sizable salaries run into 2027, Clark's pay rises with an EPIC deal, and Mitchell figures to draw max-level offers. Keeping all three may require Clark, Mitchell or both to accept below-market terms, and Indiana could shop some of its larger, less productive contracts.

Lexie Hull, the sixth overall pick in 2022, signed a two-year protected contract out of restricted free agency ahead of 2026. She earned $750,000 this season and is set for $803,250 in 2027. Her scoring fell to 5.2 points per game on 33.3% shooting, and while she has held onto a starting spot, her minutes have dropped sharply.

Monique Billings arrived on a two-year, $1.6 million protected deal in 2026 as Indiana planned to start her at power forward following a career at center. The switch fell flat: second-year forward Makayla Timpson replaced her in the lineup in early August, and Billings has since played limited minutes behind Boston. She is owed $800,000 in 2027, and the Fever could explore a trade. Timpson, the 20th pick in 2025, emerged in year two on a $277,500 salary, starting and averaging 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds. Her third rookie season pays an unprotected $305,250 in 2027, and Indiana must decide on her protected fourth-year option for 2028 beforehand.

Sophie Cunningham reaches unrestricted free agency in 2027 after playing 2026 on a one-year, $665,000 contract despite seeking multiple seasons. She averaged 7.9 points and 2.3 rebounds as a dependable reserve, finishing the season with more wing minutes than Hull while never starting, as coach White preferred her offense off the bench. Tyasha Harris, a Fishers native, also returned home on a one-year deal.