If Mitchell does choose to leave the organization, it\u2019ll be for her own \u201cselfish\u201d reasons, she candidly admitted in her Fever exit interview. <\/p>\n
BRENNAN: Something\u2019s Got to Give With the Indiana Fever<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think that I have to be selfish. I think that\u2019s where I am in my career about what I probably need and what\u2019s probably best for me. So I have to be selfish in that room,\u201d Mitchell said<\/a>. \u201c… I\u2019ve never had to talk [to], even discuss another organization. It\u2019s a lot to hash out, I just think that I got to be selfish about where my career is going a little bit, in terms of some of the things as I get older\u2014what\u2019s important for me whether it be winning, whether it be my own individual success.<\/p>\n \u201cI worked my tail off to be here though, man. And so whatever I do, it\u2019s going to come from a selfish standpoint. I\u2019ll be honest about that.\u201d<\/p>\n And Mitchell has every right to put herself first, WNBA legend Candace Parker claimed on the latest episode of her Post Moves podcast with Aliyah Boston<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cShe was very loud in her exit interview about making it clear that she has to be selfish,\u201d Parker told Boston before paraphrasing part of Mitchell\u2019s presser.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd when I tell y\u2019all, Kelsey Mitchell has been through all of the ups and downs with the Fever. From playing in barns to playing at colleges to now playing in the newly renovated arena, to losing 28 times in a season to now winning 28 times. … As you get older you realize, you do have to be a little bit selfish, you know? But it is just crazy because she has stuck with the Fever through all of that, and now you guys are kind of winning. So it\u2019ll be interesting to see [what happens].\u201d<\/p>\n Kelsey Mitchell\u2019s looming free agency decision may be the Fever\u2019s biggest offseason storyline<\/p>\n It\u2019s true: Mitchell has been through it all with the Fever. <\/p>\n Drafted by Indiana as the No. 2 pick in 2018, she survived years of coaching turnover and roster instability; the organization had a reputation as the W\u2019s bottom-dwellers upon Mitchell\u2019s arrival, and the Fever went 6-28 in her rookie campaign. In 2021 and \u201822 when Gainbridge Fieldhouse was being renovated, the Fever were forced to play some home games at the now-branded Corteva Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, which also hosted cattle competitions. (Mitchell, the longest-tenured Fever player, is the only one on the roster who has played at the fairgrounds.)<\/p>\n In due time, Mitchell\u2019s fate changed for the better. She quickly developed to become one of the franchise\u2019s most productive scorers early on in her WNBA career, averaging 17.0 points or more in each season since 2020. However, it arguably wasn\u2019t until Clark\u2019s draft selection in 2024 when Mitchell soared to mainstream recognition alongside one of the most popular players in the league. <\/p>\n The brighter spotlight had its drawbacks<\/a>, as Mitchell found out.<\/p>\n \u201cPlaying with [Clark] and having the eyes that she got, we get a lot of flak just for being on her team. \u2026 I think this organization is unbelievable, but I think that when it comes to really trying to be yourself, it hasn\u2019t always been easy,\u201d Mitchell said in her exit interview.<\/p>\n SILVERMAN: The Sun Has Set: How Connecticut’s Lone Major Pro Sports Team Left Its Mark on the WNBA<\/a><\/p>\n If this is the end of Clark and Mitchell\u2019s time together on the Fever, they ended on a high note\u2014even if they failed to win any hardware. Indiana\u2019s woeful record in the playoffs tell one story. Mitchell played in just 13 total postseason games in her nine-year career (all of them came after Clark\u2019s draft pick); Clark played in five. But the elite duo hummed to the tune of a 28-16 regular-season record in 2026 and formed the most prolific backcourt partnership in WNBA and franchise history. <\/p>\n Clark and Mitchell averaged a combined 47 points per game\u2014good for the highest-scoring duo ever\u2014and spearheaded Indiana\u2019s historic offense, which ranked first in points per game, true shooting percentage and three-point percentage. The Fever\u2019s 115.0 offensive rating set a new WNBA record, surpassing the 2023 title-winning Aces (113.0). As for individual brilliance, Mitchell broke the W\u2019s record for most consecutive games with 20-plus points (27), the W\u2019s single-season scoring record (1,086 points) and the Fever franchise\u2019s single-season record for most points per game (24.7), among other untouchable feats. <\/p>\n the squad showered Kelsey Mitchell with confetti after she set the new WNBA single-season scoring record tonight \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25\ud83c\udf89 pic.twitter.com\/OKNecNbNSk<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n So, what\u2019s next for Mitchell? She\u2019ll likely take her time to weigh all her options, which may include some tough conversations with her teammates and coaches. Lynx guard Courtney Williams also gave the Fever vet some unsolicited advice ahead of her pivotal free agency:<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like when you find that type of chemistry\u2014I get that it comes with a lot of s—, because obviously the Indiana fan base and all the eyes that Caitlin Clark gets\u2014I understand all that,\u201d Williams said on a Twitch stream<\/a>. \u201c… But I\u2019m just saying, basketball-wise? You had some of your best years, them folks over there giving you a bag. Y\u2019all over there building a franchise together. So I\u2019m just saying, bro, that grass ain\u2019t all that green.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no question Mitchell elevated her game alongside Clark over the years. But, whether the Fever remains her best shot at winning her first-ever championship is firmly up for debate.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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