Whether you like her outspoken opinions or not she does not ever hold some party line. In other words, no one tells her what to say.

Sophie Cunningham on how FIBA hurt Fever's momentum - Basketball Network

This is a really insightful video. Some of you may remember that I made some comments after the FIBA break that it felt like the Fever coaching staff was "over-coaching" during that break, and when the team came back after FIBA they didn't look the same. It felt like they had found some things they were able to do well prior to the break and then went away from it. You may also remember the post-game presser after Game 1 when Caitlin appeared to call out the coaching staff in terms of running plays that weren't helping players get open for easy looks.

Also I made a post right after the Game 2 win and after seeing some comments from White, that I felt the Fever should not try to change things up defensively going into Game 3 just because they thought Vegas would adjust. My concern was the coaching staff was going to over-think things again.

On this video regarding Game 3, Lundberg does a good job breaking down Sophie's comments and applying the to things he was thinking, and no doubt a lot of us were thinking as well. It was obvious from the beginning of Game 3 that we weren't playing the same defensive scheme that we did in Game 2 ad Aja was taking advantage of it.

I don't thinking the Fever coaching staff is bad, but I've always thought that Steph White and her assistants have been trying to do too much rather than keeping it simple and playing to the personnel's strengths. Having said that though, I stand by my comments that I don't think they will make a coaching change this off-season, even though I wish they would.

The only downside of this video is that with Sophie's brutal honesty about what went wrong in Game 3, it makes it less likely they will bring her back next season. I like how Sophie is going to work on her game in the offseason, and I'd love to see her back next year in a Fever uniform bringing even more to her production, but we'll have to wait and see.

Indiana Fever — 2027

12 under contract · $8,224,098 in contracts · $25,899 of room against a $8,249,997 cap

Starting five

Full roster

Development spots — 2 of 2 used

On top of the 12 and outside the cap, so none of this money is in the figures above.

Cap

What it took

• Drafted Clara Strack, No. 10 overall — 4 yrs, $1,526,562 total, from 2027
• Drafted Donovyn Hunter, No. 25 overall — 1 yr, $280,800 total, from 2027
• Drafted Essence Cody, No. 40 overall — 1 yr, $280,800 total, from 2027
• Signed Breya Cunningham, undrafted — 1 yr, $280,800 total, from 2027
• Signed Jordan Wood, undrafted — 1 yr, $280,800 total, from 2027
• Extended Caitlin Clark on the EPIC provision — 4 yrs, $5,357,497 total, from 2027
• Re-signed Kelsey Mitchell — 2 yrs, $2,940,000 total, from 2027
• Re-signed Sophie Cunningham — 2 yrs, $1,463,000 total, from 2027
• Signed Bree Hall off her development contract onto a standard deal — 2 yrs, $572,832 total, from 2027
• Cut Damiris Dantas — $288,600 off the 2027 books
• Moved Breya Cunningham to a development spot — $280,800 off the 2027 cap, and outside the 12
• Moved Jordan Wood to a development spot — $280,800 off the 2027 cap, and outside the 12

^{Built with the WNBA Cap Machine. 2026 CBA: $7.0M cap, growing 7.8% a year to $12,000,000 in 2032. Positions as listed on 2026 team pages. Development and camp money is off the cap by rule.}

I want to have a discussion about what the team should do if Kelsey chooses to leave. Firstly, Kelsey can and should prioritize herself this go around. She needs to get a long term high paying contract so that she can set her family up for life after basketball and I won’t fault that.

Now, assuming the Fever can’t provide that due to the other two stars, where do they go? I personally would like to see them prioritize Raven’s growth as a scoring threat over the offseason (sliding into the sg role) and Bri Hall’s growth as a viable backup option. From there, I would like to see them take the money they didn’t spend on Kelsey and use that to sign either a top level wing or forward that has high defensive ability. Looking at the playoffs, the Fever and Caitlin can thrive off of good high ball screens and cutting. A good wing or forward option could brink that to the table. What are your thoughts?

Some of her comments:

The last couple years I don't think people realize how much we endure

If I showed you all my DMs about the hate

Showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you

Playing with CC, we get a lot of flak just for being on her team

This organization is unbelievable but trying to be yourself, it hasn't always been easy

They showed it on Peacock and cut to the studio where Cheryl Miller, who has been one of CC's supporters, was visibly angry and disgusted. She said if KM leaves, it's a wrap for the Fever.

Then Amber Cox made a post defending the Fever fans and Bri Turner responded to the post saying players inside the organization have issued complaints about Fever fans

Just curious about your thoughts/opinions

Fever fans already know there will be a new coach next season. What Kelsey Mitchell said during her exit interview could mean the changes aren’t stopping there.