Fever extend qualifying offers to Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull as free agency opens
These moves give the Indiana Fever matching rights and negotiating leverage before signing period opens.
The new WNBA labor agreement agreed to by the league and players union three weeks ago has not yet been finalized — not fully written and signed.
However, both sides feel confident enough to proceed with key offseason business.
The expansion draft for two teams was held Friday, with the Fever losing two players. Then late Sunday, the WNBA set dates for free agency.
On Monday and Tuesday, teams may extend qualifying offers, including a core designation.
From Wednesday through Friday (April 8–10), teams may negotiate with free agents. The signing period opens Saturday, April 11 — just two days before the annual draft.
The Indiana Fever wasted no time and did exactly what was expected.
They extended a Core qualifying offer to All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell, the No. 2 overall pick in 2018.
They also extended a restricted qualifying offer to guard Lexie Hull, the No. 6 overall pick in 2022.
Those two aren’t expected to go anywhere.
Mitchell is the organization’s top priority — something Caitlin Clark made clear last week.
“Our first priority is to sign Mitchell back,” she said. “Was First Team All-WNBA last year, kind of my running mate in the backcourt. She makes it really easy for me.”
The core designation — the final time the Fever can use it on Mitchell — is tied to the new supermax structure: $1.4 million annually, or 20% of the projected $7 million salary cap. It would be a one-year deal, with the option to negotiate a multi-year deal.
Mitchell was the highest-paid player in the WNBA last season at $250,000.
She started all 44 games and averaged a team-high 20.2 points, along with 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. She earned All-WNBA First Team honors.
Hull also appeared in all 44 games, making 30 starts, and averaged 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists — all career highs.
Hull’s restricted free agency is something you’re familiar with, giving the Fever the right to match any offer.
Neither player is under contract yet, but these moves represent the first step toward retaining both.
The Fever currently have three players under contract — Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Makayla Timpson — all on rookie-scale deals.
The rest of the roster, along with much of the league, enters unrestricted free agency. That’s where Indiana’s focus shifts next.
