The Indiana Fever plan to re-sign Kelsey Mitchell on a one-year deal at the supermax of $1.4 million, a league source confirmed to IndyStar on Friday. Chiney Ogwumike of ESPN was the first to report on the deal.
It comes after Indiana extended a core qualifying offer to Mitchell on Monday, giving her an automatic one-year supermax contract in exchange for exclusive negotiating rights. Now, Mitchell will be the Fever’s first $1 million player after making $250,000 on the supermax in 2025.
Given Mitchell signed for the same terms of the core qualifying offer, she likely signed the sheet as-is. Her $1.4 million contract will take up 20% of the Fever’s salary cap in 2026.
She will be an unrestricted free agent out of core eligibility in 2027.
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Re-signing Mitchell was the Fever’s No. 1 priority in this condensed offseason, keeping their trio of Mitchell, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston together for the third straight year.
Mitchell was the engine behind the Fever’s 2025 season, especially after Clark was limited to 13 games because of various soft-tissue injuries. Mitchell averaged 20.2 points and 3.4 assists per game last season, leading the Fever to a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals. She made All-WNBA first team for the first time in her career and was an MVP finalist.
This season, Mitchell will reunite with a now-healthy Clark in the backcourt.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel for Fever Insiders Live.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever re-sign MVP finalist to supermax for team’s first $1 million player. What it means
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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