Indiana Fever Land Caitlin Clark New Teammate in Major WNBA Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Brett Gendoes | Last updated Jan 31, 2025 7:50 PM ET

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark broke several records in her WNBA rookie season. Averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists, Clark led Indiana to its first playoff appearance since 2016.

Clark's arrival to Indiana as the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft led to a significant improvement in team record. Just 13-27 in the 2023 season, Indiana improved to 20-20 in Clark's rookie year.

As Indiana looks to build on last season's success, big offseason moves have already been made. Re-signing All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana brought back Clark's starting backcourt partner. Additionally, the Fever made a big trade on Friday.

Per ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Indiana has traded NaLyssa Smith and the No. 8 draft pick for Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham and the No. 19 draft pick.

"The trade is between the Mercury, Wings and Fever," Andrews detailed on X. "Phoenix gets Sabally, Kalani Brown and Sevgi Uzun. Dallas gets Ty Harris, NaLyssa Smith (via Indy) the rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and the No. 8 pick from Indy. Indiana gets Sophie Cunningham and the No. 19 pick."

The trade is between the Mercury, Wings and Fever.

Phoenix gets Sabally, Kalani Brown and Sevgi Uzun. Dallas gets Ty Harris, NaLyssa Smith (via Indy) the rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and the No. 8 pick from Indy. Indiana gets Sophie Cunningham and the No. 19 pick. https://t.co/ivlqRcoeJk
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) February 1, 2025

Cunningham appeared in 40 games for Phoenix last season, averaging 8.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. A capable shooter, Cunningham made 37.8% of her 3-point attempts in 2024.

Selected second overall by Indiana in 2022, Smith appeared in 103 games (97 starts) for the franchise. Phased out of the rotation in Indiana's two postseason games, Smith averaged just 6.5 minutes per contest in that opening round series against the Connecticut Sun, scoring zero points.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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