At this point, the Indiana Fever could beat the Chicago Sky blindfolded. A point-guard-less Fever side glided past the Sky 92-70 to continue their domination over their arch rivals. Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham alternated at the point, providing enough to keep the boat afloat. An Angel Reese-less Sky could not take any advantage of Fever’s precarious situation, as they are 0-3 against Indiana this year.
The Fever had a new hero rise as Lexie Hull came out of her slump to score her season-best 17 points. She finally had the approval of coach Stephanie White, who said after the game, “I’m so proud of her.” While they managed to get that W without a point guard against the Sky, that doesn’t mean it will always work. The Fever needs some reinforcements from the free agent market, according to this analyst.
Tony East said on the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast, “The other thing I would say that’s been pointed out very smartly by Richard Cohen is that there is like a PR hit to this, it’s not a great thing to do to players. But now that the trade deadline is gone, the contract guarantee deadline has passed, they could just waive (Sydney) Colson or waive (Aari) McDonald and open a roster spot.”
It might sound harsh on the players, but considering the limited roster spots, the Fever will need to make some realistic decisions. Waving them both means waiving the rights to retain them next season, which would sound bad to the fans, but like Richard Cohen reported, “No, would be giving up any rights to them at all. But both are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season anyway. There’s no way Colson would be protected.” There is no real downside to waiving the two to free up that spot.
Currently, they are in a great place to comfortably qualify for the playoffs, but they want more. Caitlin Clark wants more. Remember her goals from before the season? “A Championship.” She had put it simply. Even when she is recovering from her soft tissue injuries, that goal remains. She won’t be satisfied with a first-round playoff exit from last year.
Like Kelsey Mitchell said after that last win, “It’s a professional league and we have to be ready, and we can’t make too many excuses about it because no one’s going to hand us anything.” To go with their aspirations, they have the cap space to do it. A $95K is the fourth most in the league. Like East mentioned, trade deadlines and contract guarantee deadlines have passed, but they have enough space to at least bring in one player. While they have signed Odyssey Sims on a hardship contract, they could look to make her permanent after it runs out. But after being pushed back into the waters, where will it leave Colson and McDonald?
East further said, “But man, is it a bummer for two players at different times, right? Sydney Coulson, at age 36, turned 36 this week. That stinks. That’s horrible. I hope her career can continue. Being around her has been very fun for Aari McDonald, who proved without a doubt that getting waived before the season was a mistake. She’s clearly deserving of a roster spot.”
Colson’s age is a huge factor when it comes to where she will be next season. She has been a handy point guard for the Fever, coming off the bench and providing veteran support, but coming back from an ACL tear will be a tough job. Her situation mirrors Sky’s Courtney Vandersloot, who had a similar injury earlier in the season. Despite being in the final years of their careers, both are looking to make a strong comeback.
“Wow, this is crazy but right there witcha sloot!” Colson said after seeing the similarity of their situations. To which Sloot replied, “Come back about to be crazy! @sydjcolson,” So we can expect both to at least try and come back at 37 to find some late career spark. On the other hand, McDonald is on the other end of her career and is just starting. She made the best of her hardship opportunity and earned her place in the Fever squad. The Fever management will try and retain her next season.
East Compares Colson and McDonald’s Injuries to Karlie Samuelson’s Waiver in Dallas
Colson will at least miss a year of basketball, and both will have a tough way back on the court. Considering her age, that might stretch even more. For McDonald, the recovery process will be shorter. A broken bone injury will take at least 6 months for McDonald, and she will definitely be in the Fever’s plans for next year.
On the other hand, there is speculation of Colson moving into more of a coaching role, but she is motivated to make a comeback. East speculated that the Fever might take a page out of the Dallas Wings’ playbook and give two of their key players space to recover. East said, “So, like Colson and McDonald can rehab with the Fever now. If they’re not on the team, it’s like a different experience. I believe that the Wings with Samuelson is a similar situation. So we’ll see what the Fever actually decide to do.”
Jun 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson (51) shoots against Golden State Valkyries forward Chloe Bibby (55) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Dallas waived Karlie Samuelson shortly after completing the DiJonai Carrington trade for Diamond Miller. Samuelson will continue rehabbing a foot injury expected to sideline her for the rest of the season with the Wings. The team is looking for Samuelson to be a part of their 2026 plans. If the Fever wants Colson and McDonald for 2026, then they could figure out a situation that lets them rehab at their facilities and with their team. They could also integrate with the tactics and future planning that could make their comeback easier.
By actively supporting injured players even after waiving them, the Fever can turn a potential ‘PR headache’ into a show of integrity. Demonstrating genuine care for Colson and McDonald not only softens the blow of their release but also strengthens the team’s reputation for putting people before paperwork.
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