The Indiana Fever have reached a crossroads following their early exit in the 2026 WNBA playoffs. Now, less than 24 hours after the team president, Kelly Krauskopf, stepped down, the team fired GM and COO Amber Cox, leading to an interesting admission from one WNBA reporter, who believes Indiana is preparing for a front-office overhaul to more heavily involve franchise superstar Caitlin Clark.
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“After front-office purge, the Fever’s next GM will work more closely with Caitlin Clark,” Indystar Sports reporter Gregg Doyel wrote for a report following the front-office shuffle.
“The modern professional basketball star – I’m talking not just about the best player on his or her franchise, but the kind of player a franchise might get once in a generation – isn’t looking for a one-way relationship with the front office. The modern star, whether it’s [Tyrese] Haliburton or Luka Doncic or LeBron James – or, yes, Caitlin Clark – wants to be part of the decision-making.”
Krauskopf had been a part of Pacers Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group behind the Fever and the Indiana Pacers, for nearly 30 years. In a statement announcing her exit from the team, Indiana had noted that Krauskopf had already decided to step down towards the end of the 2026 season.
Krauskopf left the Fever in 2019 to take a spot in the front office of the Pacers, helping them as an assistant general manager. She returned to the Fever in 2024, following Clark being drafted by the time.
Cox’s exit was not as smooth. After joining the team in 2024, she helped lead the team to a franchise-record 28 wins this season, steadily making progress as their star continues to progress. However, that success didn’t reflect in the postseason, with the team winning just one of their four playoff series over that stretch.
“Through her two seasons with the Fever, Amber has helped us navigate the seismic growth of both the WNBA and our franchise,” CEO of PS&E Mel Raines said in a statement following her firing.
“We’re grateful for her contributions and wish her the very best moving forward.”
Clark has already indicated that she wants to be part of Indiana’s offseason. During her exit interview following the team’s first-round loss to the Las Vegas Aces, Clark said that she wants to “be very involved.”
“It was interesting because, [after] my first year, we had some of those [recruiting visits],” she said.
“And then after last year, with the CBA, there was nobody [who] really took visits to figure out where they wanted to go. There wasn’t a whole lot of recruiting of free agents, other than texting and calling. So, I think this offseason will be a little bit different, and I’ll be very involved in that.”
Only time will tell what the franchise’s next move is, whether that’s making a hiring or letting go of head coach Stephanie White. What is clear is that the team has a long offseason ahead of her.