2025 WNBA MOCK Expansion Draft: INDIANA FEVER

[@Locutus.Borg.]

100% agree. They are exactly the 6 players that should and will be protected. Nalyssa Smith is as good as gone, but the Fever need her as trade bait if they are any hope of signing Satou Sabally who will absolutely be cored by the Dallas Wings. The Fever will trade Smith and perhaps some second round draft picks for 2025 and 2026. Everything depends on how badly Satou wants to come to the Fever. If she wants out, the Wings will have to do a deal and Curt Miller already made it clear, that any trade this year will count against the salary cap in 2024, so the trade will be done in late January.

[@WNBAnow]

Yes! Totally agree. Keep her to dish her in a package deal with picks. Satou to Indy would be sick

[@Locutus.Borg.]

@@WNBAnow If you listen to the interviews of Fever President Kelly Krauskopf and head coach Stephanie White, they clearly outlined the characteristics they were looking for both for player retention and recruitment. They both emphasised characteristics like *respect* for their teammates, *loyalty* to the team, a *hard work* ethic, and *team chemistry.* Krauskopf also said that any *_smart players_* would understand what Caitlin and her style of play could do to benefit their games, and basically emphasised they would need to fit in with Clark on every level. When you take all of this into account, Nalyssa Smith is GONE! She will not be with the Fever for the start of the 2025 season, and free agency trades won't be happening until late January (as per Dallas Wings GM Curt Miller). Of the players the Fever are willing to trade, ONLY Smith as trade value for Dallas.

[@Locutus.Borg.]

@@WNBAnow Additionally, Kelly Krauskopf is deeply committed to the Indiana Fever franchise and to doing what is best for the team and to keep the fans happy and coming to games. Krauskopf would be well aware of the Fever fan backlash against Nalyssa Smith and how it appears 90% or more of the comments online from Fever fans are calling for Smith to be cut loose. I really doubt Kelly Krauskopf would risk further antics from Smith and Carrington to continue to embarrass Caitlin Clark and the Fever. Krauskopf will make sure she gets full value for Smith, and that will be best realised in a trade for Satou Sabally who has shown significant signs that she is keen to come to the Fever.

[@Ridneymaxwell95]

Yeah right I believe nalyssa Smith brings chaos

[@dwightcurrie8316]

So, what's best for the Fever is to keep Smith, a known problem with limited skills, and lose Dantas, who, for the reasons you stated is clearly an asset? Do you, by any chance know Caitlin Clark's Agent? Only reason I asks is that your Reasoning goes along similar lines of logic, or lack thereof

[@WNBAnow]

Top 15 in league each of the past 2 seasons in fg% is probably a little bit more valuable than you think it is

[@dwightcurrie8316]

@@WNBAnow For a Trade, Yeah, but for the team, a Migraine, not just a headache. To use a term that used to apply only to Men, My take is that Smith could and would be an asset, if she wasn't so "P"Word Whipped. Just an opinion, but she exhibits All The Signs, that I remember from my Misspent Youth, a lot of it wasted chasing that elusive little Fuzzy Critter...so to speak :)

[@Todayiisssanewdayy]

I think they’ll protect her, so that they can trade her during Free Agency and actually get something for her. Not to keep her.

[@dwightcurrie8316]

@@Todayiisssanewdayy You may be right about that

[@Locutus.Borg.]

Protecting Nalyssa Smith is not a confirmation that she will be playing for the Fever in 2025. Smith is as good as gone, but the Fever need her as trade bait if they are any hope of signing Satou Sabally who will absolutely be cored by the Dallas Wings.

[@RubyLahna-f6h]

Draft Sonia Citron to the Indiana fever, perfect match..

[@WNBAnow]

Agree!

[@Raindeux]

They tried to trade Smith before and no one was interested. What changed? 60% FT shooter, slow, traffic cone on defense, no range, all drama on Twitter, her shot release takes years. She's not good, just admit it. She played 6 minutes a game in the playoffs vs CT for a reason. They can leave her unprotected and the Valks prob don't even take her tbh. And if they did they'd be doing Indiana a favor. I'd protect DD if I was the one making decisions.

[@WNBAnow]

Smith was Top 15 in league in fg% each of the last 2 seasons, and a former no2 pick, and you're protecting 10-year journey woman? Also, Smith doesn't have to be 'good' to be more valuable than anyone else Indy can protect. I'm not sure why you're letting your dislike for her cloud your judgment. And, if the Valks weren't going to take her like you assume, she's still on your roster anyway, no?

[@Raindeux]

@@WNBAnow Her pick # means nothing, that was 3 years ago and I'm not impressed. And she was 20th this season in fg%. And DD would be #27 if she had the 200 min attempts to be ranked (only ~150 this season). Smith ranked 20th out of 55 players who meet the min shot requirement lol. Smith shoots a whole 2% better than DD (46% vs 48%). WOW, game changer. Meanwhile DD is a 10% better FT shooter, AND also shoots the 3 10% better as well so she spaces the floor better. Smith is straight up ignored when she's on the 3-pt line, which clogs the paint. And Smith doesn't exist on defense. Come on man, they benched her in the playoffs (In favor of DD) for a reason. They kept playing her cuz she cried on twitter anytime she didn't get the minutes she felt she deserved. I HOPE the Valks take her, but they won't, they WOULD take DD, which is why your projection makes no sense. Don't protect the player they actually WOULD take? Crazy take man. DD is just a 32 year old journey woman but at the same time the Valks would pick her over anyone else on the roster that isn't protected? Make it make sense.

[@WNBAnow]

Dude, first of all, I'm looking the ranks right now, and she is 13th in fg% at 48%. Second, I'm not trying to make the argument that she is some exceptional piece that must be kept at any cost. She's literally my 6th protection on a team that really only has 5 solid ones. Third, being the 2nd ovdrall pick, and also has shown 'some' ability to produce, is 1000% more valuable than anyone else. This isn't a controversial take. If the team is really better without her, they will simply cut her. If you think it's addition by subtraction, okay, that's fine too, but I'm just telling you what I think market will say and I believe the market will weigh her much more favorably, even if it's just a 2nd round pick or an expiring contract, than anyone else on the roster

[@Locutus.Borg.]

_"They tried to trade Smith before and no one was interested. What changed?"_ What changed will depend upon how badly Satou Sabally wants to come to the Fever. If she wants out of Dallas, the Wings will be forced to core her, but they won't force her to play if she is set on going to Indiana. The Wings will just be trying to get as much as possible for Satou. So, what changed, is the fact that a franchise gets backed into a corner and has to make a deal rather than letting one of their best 2 players walk without getting anything in return. In that light, Smith will be a reasonable replacement as a power forward. The Fever will also have to trade a couple of second round draft picks, 2025/2026 and perhaps a player like Kristy Wallace who in all likelihood won't see any game time under Stephanie White.

[@Raindeux]

@@WNBAnow Idk what site you use, but I just went to the actual WNBA site, clicked stats, clicked field goal percentage, and she is at #20, out of 55 eligible players. Dantas has also shown "some" ability to produce, and she can actually hit FT's & 3's. She's literally more valuable as a player lol. @Locutus.Borg actually makes a good point though, if the Fever think Smith is the only way they get Satou from the Wings then I can get behind that. I disagree, I don't think Smith will convince the Wings to not core Satou and tell her to play or sit out though. But I at least understand the logic. Smith is straight up worthless, no one wants her. This is a controversial take btw, just judging by the comments ;)

[@JouRaharinaivo]

Better keep Grace than toxic nalyssa

[@johndickson435]

What exactly makes Tammy B an obvious pick. I don't even think that she would be picked up by the Valkyries if left unprotected. they need to protect Grace Berger.

[@WNBAnow]

I'm genuinely curious why they 'need' to protect Grace? So she can back up CC for 7 minutes a game? Like, they can't find another Grace? No shade to her, maybe in a different spot she flourishes into a 15-min a night rotational player but this weird fascination w a bench player that won't even get run is very local AM radio

[@faflafaflev3899]

She won tittle over-sea befoe this season and now is the second best player on that team over-sea once again, she was good in WNBA and never healthy, she was like +8 as starter while NaLyssa was like -8, insane difference.

[@johndickson435]

Does everyone realize that trades can be done just before the Valkyries draft. That means that they can trade Smith and not have to protect her.

[@WNBAnow]

All teams had to submit their protected list last Monday. They would have had to protect her in order to trade her to Golden State otherwise they could take her for free

[@colleenposadas8415]

Dantas all day

[@colleenposadas8415]

Keep her!!!

[@WNBAnow]

It seems like Indy loves her! I get why!

[@WNBAnow]

Can't wait to see how it unfolds!