Not all is well within the Indiana Fever. Just a month into the 2025 regular season, the team has weathered a storm of highs and lows, already revealing cracks beneath the surface of its championship aspirations. Fever Head Coach Stephanie White, who entered the season with a clear vision and fierce belief in her roster, is now finding herself navigating through a maze of injuries, roster shakeups, and mounting pressure.

The biggest blow came early in the season when superstar rookie Caitlin Clark was sidelined with a left quadriceps sprain. Her absence had severe repercussions on the team’s rhythm. Though Clark returned with a statement performance by dropping 32 points in a fiery second game against the New York Liberty, the victory was short-lived. What looked like a turning point has since unraveled into another chapter of uncertainty, leaving White and her depleted roster scrambling to regain stability in a season that promised so much, yet has delivered constant turbulence.

Ex-ESPN host and national analyst Rachel DeMita pinpointed the curtained hypocrisies of the Fever this season. In a bid to clinch the championship title, HC White went as far as to sign a replacement contract with Aari McDonatod till original teammates Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham return to the active roster. And after the deed was done, they parted ways with the point guard. And while McDonald successfully won hearts with her impactful on-court performances, the Fever just did not have enough cap space to sign her on a longer contract.

DeMita believes that the Fever always had the intention to re-sign McDonald and were just waiting for the right dominoes to fall. “

I’m sure that there was other teams who would want to pick her up as well,” Rachel said in her latest video. “But maybe there was some sort of handshake deal in the background saying, “Look, Aari, we’re going to get you back on the team. Just please wait it out. Please wait out these 10 days, and we will sign you the minute that we can.“

But McDonald’s re-entry was marked with a bed of thorns, as fans and Fever followers had to witness 37-year-old veteran DeWanna Bonner’s exit from the roster. While Bonner called the decision a mutual one and respected the waive off,

her recent message on Instagram narrates a different tale. DeWanna Bonner seemingly never quite settled in Indiana. She averaged a meager 7.1 points, 3.8 boards, and 1.6 assists for the Fever. That’s not what you expect from a 2x WNBA champ and the third highest scorer in the league’s history.

In the wake of DeWanna Bonner’s exit, the analyst was quick to mention that the Indiana Fever is now in need of more players. While the Fever has already had different roster rotations so far, Bonner’s exit may not be the last one. “

I don’t think that this is the last roster change that the Indiana Fever are going to make,” DeMita said with conviction. “Obviously, without DB’s contract, they’re able to take in Aari McDonald, but her contract is very light.” Well, DeMita has a point here.

McDonald signed a rest-of-season welcome deal worth  $72,414 and will be earning an annual base salary worth $53,000 in addition to the $6000 she earned earlier this season. On the other hand, Bonner occupied $64,000 of Indiana’s cap space for this season. With the deal nullified, General Manager Amber Cox and Stephanie White have enough financial space to fill in some big and prominent players in the roster.

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I think that there are possibly other players that the Indiana Fever could cut, or there could be at least one more player that they will take in,” Rachel DeMita added. “A lot of fans are speculating about them bringing in a big, but we will just have to see what they do from here.” To give some context, with Caitlin Clark sidelined for the game against the Storm due to a left groin injury, the Fever will have just 9 available players. DeMita is on the money when she says the Fever need reinforcements, and they need it now.

The Caitlin Clark injury dilemma continues for the Fever

After a successful comeback against the New York Liberty in game two, it seems like Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have fallen into a slump. Again. Clark made 32 points in the game and led the Fever to a whopping 102-88 victory. This marked the first loss of the season for the then-unbeaten Liberty team.

They followed that up with an 88-71 win against the Connecticut Sun, with Clark’s staggering performance leading the Indiana pack. And just as we thought, Indiana will go on a winning run and blitz through the league; lightning struck. Their next two games against the Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces were nothing short of nightmares for Clark & Co. As a result, Clark managed a shocking 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists against the Valkyries. The same continued as she managed a staggering 19 points and 8 turnovers against the Aces.

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From her body language and her energy levels, if I were to guess, I feel like there is something going on with her body. Maybe she’s sick. Maybe she has some sort of lingering injury,”  DeMita had said. She was among the few to speculate on Clark’s health, looking at her previous performances. And boy was she right!’

The Indiana Fever confirmed before the game against the Sparks that Clark had been sidelined due to another injury. According to the report, Clark complained about pain in her left groin to the training staff and immediately got an MRI scan done. Stephanie White has also confirmed the news of Clark’s injury. She revealed that the team was monitoring the 2024 ROTY’s injury and keeping her under a day-to-day status.

With the Indiana Fever seemingly in a state of turmoil in the wake of recent upheavals, the pressure on the entire team has never been higher. It remains to be seen if they can bounce back with their backs against the wall or further falter under pressure.