Sheryl Swoopes Advises Sky About Ex-Fever Guard Amid Caitlin Clark Return

The women's basketball world received some fantastic news on Friday, as the Indiana Fever announced that star guard Caitlin Clark will be returning to the court against the New York Liberty on June 14 after missing the past three weeks with a left quad strain.

While Clark's imminent return from injury is undoubtedly a great thing, it's also bad news for one person: Aari McDonald.

Indiana signed McDonald to an emergency hardship exception contract on June 2, which was allowed because the Fever were dealing with three injuries to guards (Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and Sydney Colson). But now that all three of these aforementioned guards are cleared to play, the Fever had no choice but to release McDonald on Friday.

McDonald (who was cut by the Los Angeles Sparks right before the season) produced an excellent display during her short time in Indiana, as she averaged 11 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game while playing elite defense. Therefore, it seems likely that another WNBA team will soon sign her.

One team that's in dire need of guard help is the Chicago Sky, especially after losing Courtney Vandersloot to an ACL tear earlier this week. This is the basis of why WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes conveyed the Sky should bring McDonald on board during a June 11 episode of The Women's Hoops Show.

"Now that [Vandersloot] is down and out, she's done for the reason, they need a point guard!" Swoopes said of the Sky. "I'm just gonna put this out here: Personally, I think Aari McDonald should stay with Indiana. She's making a big difference on that team.

"When Caitlin comes back, they gotta get rid of somebody, and if it's Aari McDonald, Chicago, you need to call her. You need a point guard. You need an experienced point guard," Swoopes added.