Kelsey Mitchell is coming off one of the greatest WNBA seasons ever in terms of offensive production, as she set league records for points scored and 3-point field goals made in 2026. Mitchell is now a free agent, and she created plenty of buzz this past weekend when she said that she intends to be “selfish” in her free agent decision-making.
“I have to be selfish,” Mitchell said. “I think that’s where I am in my career. What I probably need and what’s probably best for me. So I have to be selfish in that room.
“But, I think, ultimately, being on the Fever and being part of an organization that does come with a lot of ups and downs, what factors in and what is important for me is, obviously, having good chemistry on and off the floor. I’ve only been with one team my entire career, so it’s all kind of like figuring this out. It’s hard, man.”
The Fever will surely make a hard push to bring Mitchell back.
“She has a lot of equity in this franchise and has put in a lot of time,” Fever GM Amber Cox said. “She’s meant so much to us and has, obviously had, arguably, the best season in the history of our league in terms of being a scoring guard. The numbers she put up were just spectacular, and you hear night-in and night-out from players across this league—the hardest person to guard in this league is Kelsey Mitchell.”
Mitchell was forthright when asked about the intensity of playing on a team that features arguably the two biggest lightning rods in women’s basketball: Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham.
“Hell yeah, yeah. It was tough,” Mitchell said. “I think the hardest part about being a Fever girl … the last couple of years, I don’t think people really understand how much we endure, man.
“I really don’t think … If I showed y’all my DMs about the hate, and you know, like all of the stuff that comes with being a professional athlete, but specifically being an Indiana Fever basketball player.
“Showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you is hard,” Mitchell continued. “I think having to show up for people who don’t look at you and have the eyes, the star eyes when they see me.
“But playing with CC [Caitlin Clark] and having the eyes that she got, we get a lot of flak just for being on her team. And I think that comes with a lot, too. And I just think that people gotta give us grace. I think this organization is unbelievable, man, but I think that when it comes to really trying to be yourself, it hasn’t always been easy.”
Potential Kelsey Mitchell free agency landing spots
Here is a look at a few potential Kelsey Mitchell landing spots if she does indeed look to leave the Fever.
- Washington Mystics: The brunt of Washington’s roster is still on rookie contracts, so the Mystics will have plenty of money to throw around this winter. Long-range shooting is a top priority for the franchise.
- Portland Fire: The Fire are in desperate need of an elite scorer, and no one in the WNBA scores the ball better from the perimeter than Mitchell.
- LA Sparks: The Sparks are always in contention to sign a big-name free agent given their big-market status. LA only has five players under contract going into 2027.
- Phoenix Mercury: The Mercury had a brutal 2026 season, just one year after a trip to the WNBA Finals. They are expected to attack the off-season as if they are in “win-now” mode, and they only have four players under contract.
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