🚨Kelsey Mitchell Finally Breaks Silence — Her Decision About the Fever Leaves Fans Divided.P1

After eight years in Indiana, Kelsey Mitchell’s name is once again at the center of offseason buzz. The 2025 campaign was a statement year for the veteran guard, one that powered the Fever to the semifinals and placed her firmly in MVP conversations. Now, as free agency looms amid tense CBA negotiations, all eyes are on the hometown hero. Will Mitchell continue to build her legacy in Indiana, or is this the moment she decides to chart a new path?

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In a YouTube upload by Sue Bird of the Bird’s Eye View podcast from October 24, Kelsey Mitchell could be heard talking about the possibility of her lacing up for the Indiana Fever for another stint together. On being asked if she would like to test out free agency, the basketball guard had a cryptic answer: “You got to look at your family and who you are and what was built around you is important. And so, that’s important for me.” But Mitchell did take a balanced route despite leaning her liking to Indiana.

“I would say, and I think that is always has to be the first and foremost, important for me when I think about free agency.” However, there is a caveat, as well. “But on the flip side of things of like knowing what Indiana means to me, it’s like it’s paramount. It’s huge,” Mitchell said, about how free agency would drive her away from the WNBA franchise. Moreover, the current CBA situation is becoming a major factor behind her decision-making process.

“It’s so many what-ifs right now, Sue. With the CBA and how life is shuffling the deck. It’s like you just don’t know. It’s a lot of what-ifs. But I like to think that, in the right realm of work, I cannot not think about Indiana… On the other side of things, it’s like I’ve got to make sure I’m put in a position to take care of my family or be there for my family. I also know that this is for my family as well. So, it’s a combination of both,” Kelsey stated.

The Fever re-signed the All-Star guard earlier this year when she hit free agency, and a similar situation can pan out this season, too. But, for the matter of fact, the Fever will be hell bent to bring the star back as she hit her best career numbers, 890 points, this season. Mitchell was also the anchor to the Fever’s deep playoff run in the absence of star players like Caitlin Clark and more.

But even if Mitchell remains torn between her return to Indiana and free agency, the CBA situation could definitely tip the scales.

Why has the WNBA CBA become a talking point for the whole of America?

The current CBA, signed in 2020, was originally scheduled to run through 2027. However, the players’ union (WNBPA) opted out of that agreement in October 2024, which accelerates the deadline for a new deal to be reached by October 31, 2025. The fact that the deadline is fast-approaching has heightened urgency. All of this means that this offseason is not just about player contracts and team building, but it’s also about a potentially transformative labor deal.

Currently, the CBA is being debated over issues like salary cap (Players are demanding higher overall compensation and a more flexible salary cap structure that can grow with the league), revenue sharing, and a viable growth model (how much of the league’s revenue goes back to players and how the formula for that share works. The deadlock has been there for a long time, with efforts in quarters, like that of the All-Star week, have gone in vain.

The players also want a percentage-of-revenue model like other leagues, something that Adam Silver has hinted he isn’t willing to go. Even that sparked debate within the W on how the NBA is still controlling the rights and demands of the league. (The NBA is a majority player in the W) So it is understandable that such a complicated issue cannot be solved overnight, and Mitchel is right to be skeptical about how things are going to pan out to help her finalize the decision to return to Indiana.

Not just players, even officials of the States have jumped into the issue, asking for better rights. Also, the CBA can end up in a lockout if both parties do not agree to an extension. All of these additions have made the entire W a chaotic place and all are expecting for solution in the next 5 days. Only a miracle can solve things, but irrespective of the outcome, the Fever will go all out for Kelsey Mitchell with stars locked on a rookie deal.