Okay, so we finally have a reason. And of all the players it could have been about, it's Aliyah Boston. A reported reason, Joey. One reporter, one podcast, and the team hasn't said a word about it. But it's worth your time. You're listening to the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. I'm Cera, Joey's with me, and it's Wednesday, October 28th. Coming up: what The Athletic is hearing about why Amber Cox lost her job, Boston answering Caitlin Clark's end-of-season post, the Fever's pick in ESPN's first 2027 mock draft, and a Clark project that has nothing to do with basketball. If today's show was useful, follow us wherever you're listening — the next one will be waiting.
Jeremy Beren at Sporting News, relaying reporting from The Athletic's Annie Costabile:
Rather, Costabile says, Cox's handling of Aliyah Boston's contract extension earlier this year led to fissures within the front office because it greatly reduced Indiana's available cap space.
So it wasn't the exit interview. It was the cap sheet. Partly, by her account. Costabile said this on The Athletic's No Offseason podcast, recorded after Friday's firing. She called it a layered situation, and she says the why behind it wasn't really explained. Here's the piece she heard about. Boston signed a four-year, 6.3 million dollar extension under the new EPIC provision. It was the first EPIC deal ever, and the richest contract in league history. And she earned every cent of it. I'm not having anybody make AB the villain here. Costabile says the same thing. Her point isn't that Boston didn't deserve the money. It's the long game. In her words, there wasn't much advance thought given to how that deal would hit Kelsey Mitchell's contract and Caitlin Clark's. Which is the exact squeeze we've been doing cap math about for two weeks. Mitchell's a free agent, Clark's up for her own EPIC extension, and the room's gone. Beren goes further than Costabile does. He writes that Cox didn't have to give that deal and that she gave away Indiana's leverage. That's his read. Costabile treats the contract as one nick on Cox's record and the exit-interview comments about fans as another. Two nicks, and you're out after two seasons. Harsh league. Cat Ariail at Swish Appeal pulls out a third piece. Costabile, giving her own analysis, said she sees the firing as the organization's first step toward doing everything it can to keep Mitchell. Ariail lays out three ways to read it: cleaning up the reputation, the roster never gelling, or protecting the business that Clark drives. She doesn't pick one. If it really is about keeping Kelsey, then fine. Show me. Don't just tell me. And here's where things stand, per Chloe Peterson at the IndyStar. The front office is empty. Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Mel Raines says there will be a national search for a general manager, with no timeline. Peterson notes Indiana finished sixth in the regular season in each of the last two years, with one semifinal trip and no Finals. Stephanie White, who Krauskopf and Cox hired, is still the coach for now, in Peterson's words. For now. I hate those two words.
Angelo Guinhawa, in an Athlon story carried by Yahoo Sports:
Boston, for her part, commented on Clark's post and shared her desire to continue playing alongside her teammate for years to come.
Three Gs. Lets keep it goinggg. That's the whole comment, and honestly I love it. Some context. This is the same post we talked about last Friday, when Mitchell answered it by calling Clark Da One. Clark wrote that she was thankful for a season of being healthy and doing what she loves, said it's back to work, and promised lots of really cool shoes still on the way. After thirteen games last year, healthy is the headline. That's what she was celebrating. Nancy Lieberman replied too. Rodney Knuppel at Sporting News wrote that the Hall of Famer wished Clark happiness, health and peace, which he called a reminder that the season isn't only a referendum on her numbers. Which is the right note. She's a player, not a ratings chart. The timing is what makes this worth a mention. Boston's extension is now reported as part of why the GM is gone, and Guinhawa notes the Fever are expected to discuss Clark's own EPIC extension this offseason. And in the middle of all that, the two cornerstones are publicly saying, let's keep going. Good. Whoever gets the GM job, that's your foundation. Don't overthink it.
Evan Massey at Heavy, on ESPN's first look at next spring's draft:
ESPN’s initial 2027 WNBA mock draft, released Tuesday, has the Fever selecting North Carolina State forward Khamil Pierre with the 10th overall pick.
Tenth again. That's where Raven Johnson came from. Same slot, very different player. Pierre is a six-foot-two senior who led the ACC in rebounding last season at 11.9 a game, an NC State program record, while scoring 16.7 on 52.5 percent shooting. Twenty-two double-doubles in 32 games. She transferred in from Vanderbilt. A glass-eater. We have been begging for one. ESPN's Michael Voepel calls her relentless in the paint. The catch, he says, is she doesn't stretch the floor as a three-point threat. Fine by me. Clark and Mitchell are taking the threes. I need somebody to go get the misses. Massey makes the fit case with numbers. Indiana led the league at 96 points a game but finished ninth in defensive rating and seventh in rebounding. He writes that White and the next general manager are expected to prioritize size, toughness and rebounding in the April draft. And it lines up with what Elaine Blum wrote over the weekend about frontcourt depth behind Boston. So it's late October and I already have a draft crush. Great. Keep it casual. Massey points out the lottery and the draft order aren't set yet, and the college season hasn't even tipped. It's a mock, not a pick. A mock with a rebounding title attached. I'm allowed to dream a little.
And something lighter to finish. Paolo Songco, writing Tuesday:
Clark’s first-ever picture book, EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams, will be released on Nov. 3.
Caitlin Clark, children's author. Sure, why not. Next Tuesday? Next Tuesday, yes. It's a rhyming picture book she wrote, illustrated by Adriana Predoi and published through Random House Kids. Songco says it encourages readers to put extra time and extra attention into the moments they share with the people they love. That's sweet. Where's the title from? Songco reports it came from a line that hung over the mirror in her childhood bedroom: the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little extra. Okay, that's a very Caitlin Clark thing to have on your wall as a kid. It's a small story. But after a week of firings and cap fights, it's nice to have one that's just about a kid's bookshelf. No cap sheet. No GM search. Just a book. I'll take it.
A question for you. If you're running the Fever's draft board next April, do you take the rebounder, or swing for a wing who can guard? Tell us at indianafeverdailyfancast at lantern podcasts dot com. Bonus points if you've watched more NC State film than I have. That's a low bar.
The Finals could end tomorrow afternoon in Atlanta, and Indiana is still waiting on a phone call from Pacers Sports and Entertainment. One of those is on a schedule. The other one, nobody knows. We'll be back tomorrow, Thursday. Thanks for spending part of your Wednesday with the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. I'm Cera, that's Joey, and this show comes to you from the Lantern Podcasts family.