The Indiana Fever may have to eat major dollars following the departure of Katie Lou Samuelson. The two sides decided to mutually part ways after just one season in Indiana. Samuelson began her stint with the Fever in 2024 after returning from maternity leave.
At the beginning of last season, her numbers were significantly down when compared to the 2022 season, despite the fact that Samuelson was projected to be a solid 3-point threat. With the game plan then-head coach Christie Sides was running, Samuelson just didn't fit into the system. She averaged two 3-point attempts per game last season and saw a massive decline in playing time after losing the starting role to Kristy Wallace and then Lexie Hull.
Just what does the Samuelson departure mean for the Fever?
Katie Lou Samuelson signed a two-year $355,000 contract with the Fever, which included $175,000 guaranteed in her first year with the team. The keyword here is "guaranteed" — and when the team severed ties, they had to buy out Samuelson for $106,419. When the Fever brought in Samuelson, they were impressed by her offensive depth and size to help bolster the roster, but the relationship didn't work out.
The Fever were unable to successfully trade Samuelson earlier this year, which meant the team was still on the hook for her contract. Had they successfully completed a trade with another team like the Golden State Valkyries, who are building from the ground up, the Fever could have received some of that contract money back, and it's likely that other teams around the league were not willing to take on her contract—which would have came at a hefty price tag.
Despite all of the players the Fever picked up this off-season, they're carrying a tight roster going into the regular season. They are limited on money they can spend due to the Samuelson contract forcing them to carry only 11 players most of the season and not the league roster max of 12 players. In February, both sides agreed to a contract buyout, leading Samuelson to the free agent market before signing with the Seattle Storm.
How the Fever recover from this is yet to be determined. Carrying fewer players could mean fatigue issues amongst their players since the season was expanded to 44 games. The Fever could still make a move, but it will have to now wait until at least the midway point of the season due to their lingering financial constraints.