The Indiana Fever’s 2025 season performance was a ‘wake-up’ call for the rest of the league as the heavily ‘injured’ roster managed to stretch the eventual champions to the OT of game 5, a thing that even the finalists couldn’t do. So it was obvious that the front office tried to bring back all the key pieces, and recently they added Sophie Cunningham on a one-year contract again.
The player joined the Fever project in 2025, played in 30 games, and yet was the fourth-highest scorer and rebounder for the team. Many expected a massive contract, but the player sacrificed for the championship roster.
Sophie Cunningham Putting Team Goals Ahead Of Personal Goals
Earlier in free agency, Kelsey Plum took a major pay cut to give the Los Angeles Sparks a chance to build a contender team. Then Arike Ogunbowale, and now the former Mercury star, also did the same thing to allow their respective franchises flexibility in the roster build-up.
During her podcast interview, Cunningham mentioned that she seeks a long-term contract and a lucrative one to be able to buy a house. While the player always speaks her mind and acts accordingly, this time she preferred the franchise’s goals over her own.
spicy Sophie is back 🌶️ pic.twitter.com/1kBCandkCa
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) April 12, 2026
The Fever team also added Monique Billings and re-signed Lexie Hull, Kelsey Mitchell, and Damaris Dantas to strengthen the roster. The team seems very competitive when healthy and will need some depth to protect star performers in key moments.
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While the decision surprised many, she released an official statement on the move.
Sophie Cunningham Opens Up On Fever Contract
The player was instrumental in the franchise’s Commissioner’s Cup win and was backing the team from the sidelines during the postseason games, along with Caitlin Clark. Trusting the process and the players, the former Missouri star re-signs with the Fever. She spoke about her decision.
“We fought through a ton of adversity, and it was important to me that we have a chance to see through what we started. I have a feeling this is going to be another special season, so I’m excited to get things started and to, of course, keep playing in front of the best fans in the WNBA. Let’s get spicy!” She added.
what Sophie said ♨️ pic.twitter.com/63hbdfe4hW
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) April 12, 2026
Now this could be a ‘win now’ situation for the Indiana Fever, who assembled a strong roster and look to win the title with multiple players again on one-year contracts.