Caitlin Clark continues to be paired with defensive mainstays and seasoned players by the Indiana Fever. Although the details of the 28-year-old’s contract with Indiana are yet unknown, the Fever announced on Sunday that they had signed Brianna Turner.
Notably, Turner played in 27 games with the Chicago Sky previous season, averaging 1.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in slightly over nine minutes per game. Turner was Angel Reese’s teammate. Additionally, Turner shared the court with Sophie Cunningham and DeWanna Bonner, two of the Fever’s recent additions to the Phoenix Mercury.
Cunningham and Turner were teammates when the Mercury advanced to the 2021 WNBA Finals before falling to the Chicago Sky in four games. The 6-foot-3 forward, who was named to the All-Defensive First Team twice in a row in 2020 and 2021, gives the Fever a defensive edge.
Previously seated behind Kamilla Cardoso and Reese, Turner is expected to receive more playtime under Stephanie White’s supervision. As Indiana strengthens its team in preparation for the season, Turner’s hiring is another move by the Fever management to bolster the team around Clark and Aliyah Boston. In a big four-team transaction that sent NaLyssa Smith to the Dallas Wings and brought in Sydney Colson, Bonner, and Natasha Howard, the Fever recently acquired Cunningham.
Colson, Bonner, and Howard have won seven titles between them, so it’s obvious that Indiana is making significant investments in seasoned players for the upcoming campaign. Cunningham, the newest member of the Fever, has publicly said how excited she is to work with Clark in the upcoming season.
The versatile player talked about the chemistry she expects with Clark on the ‘Sports and Shenanigans’ podcast. “To her Taylor Swift, I’ll be her Sabrina Carpenter any day,” Cunningham said. “I’m really looking forward to this. To be honest, I also think she’s a wonderful person. In addition to being a wonderful person, she manages a lot of pressure and scrutiny with incredible grace. She passes the ball, which I appreciate, and I’m really thrilled to be a part of anything like that.” Clark expressed his own enthusiasm about the new player joining the Fever and gave the team’s management credit for their well-timed off-season additions. “I am incredibly thrilled.
I believe that Amber [Cox] and Kelly [Krauskopf] have done a fantastic job of identifying things that work. It gives me hope for the future.
