Indiana Fever re-sign Kelsey Mitchell and acquire former star, Natasha Howard, in free agency.

Amber Cox, Indiana’s general manager, has signalled her ambition to win a championship by being active early in the off-season.

Caitlin Clark took the WNBA by storm in her highly anticipated rookie season – obliterating several records and leading the assists per game charts with 8.4 apg.

The rookie’s historic season catapulted the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016 – suffering a first round exit to the Connecticut Sun.

Despite the early playoff exit, Cox and head coach, Stephanie White, know the foundation blocks are now set for a Championship run.

First priority for the front office was to retain the services of menacing guard, Kelsey Mitchell.

Mitchell had been the second piece in an electric backcourt partnership that allowed Clark to thrive in her rookie season.

Averaging 16.8 points per game, the Ohio State graduate has put pen to paper to a luxurious one-year supermax contract – worth a reported $249,000.

Nevertheless, Indiana had no intention of slowing down as their next ambitious acquisition was only days away.

Natasha Howard has returned to the franchise that drafted her in 2014 with their fifth overall pick.

Howard will not only add her elite defensive capabilities to White’s team, she will also provide more scoring from the forward position – as she averaged 17.6 ppg for a poor Dallas Wings side in previous season.

The former Defensive Player of the Year is rumoured to be signing a near max contract to join Caitlin Clark in Indiana.

Who next for the Fever?

Even with the addition of Howard, the Fever will presumably still want to be a more dominant presence on the boards this year.

Continuing to add former Dallas players to the roster could be an option for Cox as Satou Sabally lurks in the free agency shadows.

Sabally is another talented forward but her career has been plagued by injuries.

However, a healthy Satou is exactly what the Fever require in order to take their team to the next level.

The Oregon graduate averaged an impressive 17.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg after missing the first 25 games of the WNBA season with a shoulder injury.

At 26 years of age, Sabally still has time to propel her fortunes into a more positive direction.

Alternatively, DeWanna Bonner would be considered the safer and more reliable option.

At the other end of the spectrum, Bonner is a more experienced player who may be coming to the end of her stellar career.

That being said, the 37 year-old forward plays with the contagious energy of a rookie – grabbing 6 rpg while still contributing 15 ppg.

In comparison to Sabally, Bonner played all 40 games in the WNBA last year and would add essential leadership qualities to a team that has heightened ambitions for the 2025 season.

With more depth and defensive stability, the Fever will look to trade blows with the elite teams in the league.