Kelsey Mitchell landing spots: Three title contenders that make sense if WNBA scoring champion leaves Fever

For the second consecutive season, Kelsey Mitchell and the Indiana Fever were eliminated from the playoffs after losing a winner-take-all first-round game to the Las Vegas Aces. And once again, Mitchell will be a free agent and have to decide whether she wants to return to the only franchise she's ever known. 

Mitchell, after signing a one-year deal to return to Indiana last offseason, had the best scoring season we've ever seen from a guard. She averaged 24.7 points, the fifth-highest single-season scoring average in WNBA history, scoring a league-record 1,086 total points while leading the league in 3-point percentage (45%). Her 64.5% true shooting was 8.4% above league average and the third-highest ever by a 20-point scorer. 

What's next for Fever? After playoff exit, Indiana must determine if Caitlin Clark-Kelsey Mitchell duo can win

Jack Maloney

Despite Mitchell posting those historic numbers while forming an elite backcourt with Caitlin Clark, the Fever endured another early playoff exit and now enter a pivotal offseason. Fever general manager Amber Cox said after the season that re-signing Mitchell will be a "major priority." Clark, meanwhile, said at her exit interview on Thursday that "there's nobody I would want to share the backcourt with other than" Mitchell, and that the organization will "recruit her as hard as we can" because "we need her, we love her."

The Fever paid Mitchell, 30, the supermax this season and have the cap space to re-sign her, but they'll face plenty of competition from the rest of the league. Mitchell, who said in her exit interview that she plans to be "selfish" during her free agency process, appears open to playing elsewhere after spending the first nine seasons of her career with Indiana, the team that drafted her at No. 2 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft. 

"I have to be selfish," Mitchell said. "I think that's where I am in my career ... what I probably need and what's probably best for me. So I have to be selfish in that room.

"But I think, ultimately, being on the Fever and being a part of an organization that does come with a lot of ups and downs, what factors in and what is important for me is, obviously, having a good chemistry on and off the floor. I've only been with one team my entire career, so it's all kind of like figuring this out. It's hard, man."

As the playoffs continue, let's take an early look at where Mitchell might wind up this offseason. 

Indiana Fever

We have to start with the Fever, the only team Mitchell has known since she came into the league in 2018. Mitchell went through some rough years in Indiana; the Fever won six or fewer games in four of her first six seasons, and she didn't play in the playoffs until 2024. 

That had more to do with the lack of talent around her than anything Mitchell was doing wrong. And the arrival of Clark and Aliyah Boston has helped Mitchell become one of the league's best guards. She's made four consecutive All-Star appearances, was an All-WNBA First Team honoree last season and should be again this season. 

Mitchell and Clark, in particular, are an electric pairing in the backcourt, and together this season powered the best offense in WNBA history with a 115 offensive rating. Playing next to Clark, who assisted on 97 of Mitchell's 381 field goals (25.5%), has made the veteran's life significantly easier on the court. And as bad as some of those early seasons were, Mitchell has been in Indianapolis, the closest WNBA city to her native Cincinnati, for nearly a decade now. 

But the Fever have still only won one playoff series in Mitchell's career, and she chose not to sign a long-term extension last offseason. And her exit interview made it clear that all of the drama surrounding Clark and the organization has been difficult to navigate. "Showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you is hard," Mitchell said. "I think this organization is unbelievable, man, but I think that when it comes to, like, really trying to be yourself, it hasn't always been easy."

As Mitchell enters her 30s, there's a real chance she goes elsewhere for the latter half of her prime. 

Washington Mystics

The youngest team in the league is way ahead of schedule. After the type of up-and-down start you'd expect from a group with eight rookies, the Mystics surged out of the All-Star break and finished 14-4 -- tied with the Dream for the best record in the league in the second half of the season -- to earn the No. 5 seed. 

The Mystics did so primarily with defense, size and physicality. They finished 12th in offensive rating (104.6), last in 3-point attempts per game (19.6) and 12th in 3-point percentage (32.3%). And when the playoffs started, their inability to generate reliable offense was a major issue. They were swept in the first round by the Dream. In those two games, they shot 39.7% from the field, including 31.7% from 3-point range, and had 42 turnovers to 26 assists. 

Mitchell, a true three-level scorer, is just the type of player the Mystics need on the perimeter. Crucially, she has the one-on-one skills to compensate for the Mystics having much worse spacing than the Fever -- at least as currently constructed. Mitchell scored 1.119 points per possession in isolation last season, which ranked third among the 14 players with at least 50 iso possessions. And her 1.091 points per possession on jump shots off the dribble ranked second only behind Washington's Sonia Citron among players with at least 100 such attempts. 

Because of their youth, the Mystics only have $1.1 million in guaranteed money on the books for 2027, a league low. As such, they would have no issues giving Mitchell whatever contract she wants. 

Golden State Valkyries

The Valkyries' offensive issues have been well-documented. They were 13th in the league in true shooting (54%) this season, had the second-worst offense of any playoff team (108.2 offensive rating) and their top two scorers, Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaün, barely averaged more points combined (27.1) than Mitchell (24.7) did on her own. 

We don't have to rehash Mitchell's unique scoring ability, but she would give the Valkyries the go-to scorer they've been missing since their inaugural season in 2025, and coach Natalie Nakase's five-out system would give her plenty of space to operate. Plus, the Valkyries have only $3.2 million in guaranteed money on the books for 2027, giving them plenty of cap space to give Mitchell a max deal.

The big question here is whether the Valkyries would be interested in Mitchell given her lackluster defense. Would the major scoring boost she would provide be enough to make up for being the weakest link in Golden State's elite defense? The Valkyries, whose 99.1 defensive rating this season was more than four points per 100 possessions better than any other team, certainly have the personnel to protect her on that end. But would it be too disruptive to how Nakase wants her team to play? 

The answer may ultimately depend on how far the Valkyries go in the playoffs and what happens with their expected pursuit of Napheesa Collier, another marquee free agent. If the Valkyries end up falling short of a championship because they can't score enough in big moments, that may convince the organization to tweak their defense-first principles and go after Mitchell. 

Napheesa Collier landing spots: Three potential destinations if five-time All-Star leaves Lynx as free agent

Jack Maloney

Las Vegas Aces

Finally, let's discuss Mitchell and the Aces, who have knocked the Fever out of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. 

The reigning champions, who are currently down 1-0 in the semifinals to the Valkyries, will have their own free agent saga to sort out this offseason. Former No. 1 overall pick Jackie Young, who has spent her entire career with the franchise, only signed a one-year deal last offseason when the rest of the Aces' core inked three-year deals. 

If Young decides to stay, the Aces would not have the cap space to also add Mitchell. But if Young decides to leave, that would create a max-salary-sized opening on their cap sheet, and Mitchell would make a lot of sense as a replacement. 

Mitchell is obviously a much different player. She's not as big as Young and nowhere near her level as a defender. However, Mitchell is one of the best scorers in the league, and the only reason she didn't walk to the scoring title this season is because A'ja Wilson had her own historic campaign. 

The combination of Wilson and Mitchell would be a nightmare to defend, and Mitchell's arrival could help the Aces remain a title contender.