The Indiana Fever came agonizingly close last season. They advanced deep into the playoffs without their biggest star, lost an overtime semifinal in five games, and watched the Las Vegas Aces move on to the Finals without them.
That near-miss, the team’s leadership has made clear, is not going to happen again without a fight.
On Saturday, the Fever announced a series of offseason moves designed to give Caitlin Clark — set to return from the injury that cost her the entire 2025 postseason — the best possible supporting cast for a legitimate championship run in 2026.
The headline signings involved two familiar faces and one experienced addition.
Lexie Hull is back on a multi-year deal — a return that was announced in a TikTok video featuring Clark herself, a gesture that underscored the closeness of their friendship off the court as much as their partnership on it. Hull has become a fan favorite and a cornerstone of the Fever’s identity, forming part of the trio affectionately nicknamed “Tres Leches” alongside Clark and Sophie Cunningham.
“We saw it on Twitter at some point, and people ran with it,” Hull told Fox News Digital about the nickname. “It was funny.”
Kelsey Mitchell is also returning after one of the strongest individual seasons of her career. The guard averaged 20.2 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game across 31.4 minutes last season — earning a spot on the All-WNBA First Team and finishing as an MVP finalist. Her scoring punch makes her one of the most important pieces of the Fever’s core.
The new addition is Monique Billings, a veteran forward acquired from the Golden State Valkyries. Originally drafted 15th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2018 WNBA Draft, Billings has built a reputation as a reliable rebounder and rotational contributor over stints with the Dream, Dallas Wings, Phoenix Mercury, and Valkyries, as well as significant experience playing overseas.
“Very Achievable”: Hull on the Championship Mindset
The motivation behind the moves is not subtle. The Fever reached the WNBA Semifinals in 2025 despite a depleted roster — playing shorthanded, dealing with multiple injuries, and still pushing the Las Vegas Aces to a 107-98 overtime defeat in a decisive Game 5.
Clark did not play a single minute of that postseason run.
For Hull, the lesson from that experience was not humility — it was confidence.
“I think it’s because we made it where we made it last year without some of our key pieces, and with a lot of injuries, and a lot of adversity,” Hull said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “Our bench was longer than every other bench. We had more people in the training room getting treatment than any other team, and we still almost made it to the Finals.”
“Tasting that and being so close and feeling like we have so much more to give — I think that just changes our mindset a little bit. And it’s not necessarily overconfident, but confident in the fact that we really do have a chance.”
She was direct about the team’s aspirations heading into free agency and the 2026 season: “I think it’s very achievable with what we’re going to be able to do.”
The Challenges That Come With the Spotlight
Being the Indiana Fever in the post-Clark era carries benefits that few WNBA franchises have ever experienced — and pressures that are equally unusual.
Hull has spoken openly about navigating both sides of that equation.
“The most challenging part is there’s just so much scrutiny. People have opinions online, and, unfortunately, that’s part of the job,” she told Fox News Digital. “People need to know that everyone’s human. We’re real people. I think when things get blown out of proportion, when things get really personal and there’s personal attacks on people’s character — I think that’s where it gets over the line.”
Beyond the online commentary, Hull has noticed a tangible shift in how opposing teams approach games against Indiana — one she traces directly to the national attention Clark brought to the franchise beginning in 2024.
“Because of the fans that we’ve gotten since 2024 — with the rise in popularity with the Indiana Fever being like a name that people know — I think, as an opposing team, you’d want to win even more because you feel there are so many people rooting,” Hull said.
Rather than viewing that dynamic as a burden, Hull frames it as the nature of competing at the highest level — and an energy the Fever intend to channel.
“It’s exciting to have that type of following across the country,” she said.
Where Indiana Stands in the Title Race
Bookmakers currently place the Fever as the fourth-best favorite to win the 2026 WNBA championship — behind the Minnesota Lynx, defending champion Las Vegas Aces, and New York Liberty.
That positioning reflects both the genuine talent on the Fever’s roster and the uncertainty that comes with any team banking heavily on the return of an injured star. If Clark returns healthy and the newly assembled core clicks quickly, the gap between fourth and first could close faster than the odds suggest.
Hull, for one, is not focused on where the Fever are ranked entering the season.
She is focused on where they finish.
The Indiana Fever spent last postseason proving they could compete without Caitlin Clark. Now, with Clark returning and a core that includes Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, Sophie Cunningham, and newly added veteran Monique Billings, the question shifts from can they compete to can they win it all. For Hull, the answer is already settled. “I think it’s very achievable.” The 2026 season will determine whether the rest of the WNBA agrees.
