After breaking their seven-year playoff drought, the Indiana Fever is gearing up toward a championship run. Headlined by star rookie Caitlin Clark, the 1999-founded team revived their energy last season. They became a .500 team for the first time since 2019 and also reached the first round. But there is something else that has cheered the Fever again. And guess what’s the news? The homecoming of the star who began her career here.

A three-time WNBA champion has found her way home during the Fever’s pursuit of success! Natasha Howard has signed with the Indiana Fever, bringing a lot of championship experience to Indiana. On top of that, Howard’s play style fit in exactly with what Caitlin Clark and her teammates needed.

On Courtside Buzz, show host Rachel Annamarie DeMita discussed the blockbuster signing, showing highlights of the former WNBA DPOY. The clips showed Howard in her element, fearlessly posting up her opposition and hitting open threes. “As you can see from just these few plays, it seems like she will fit in with the Indiana Fever offense.” The show host said, showering praise on the six-two power forward.

DeMita went into detail about the Indiana Fever offense, saying, “One thing that the Fever want to do is they wanna run. They want to make the game faster, and that is something that they’re going to need with whatever post player they’re going to pick up or with the post players they already have. They are going to need them to run the floor, she does that.” Her comments come to justify the style of ‘Flash’, which perfectly fit the demands of the team. Howard’s offensive bag is deep enough to give the league issues when combined with CC’s shooting and Aliyah Boston’s post moves.

Even though her arrival has given hope to the Stephanie White-led team, it has brought the remaining teams to rework their plans. Her caliber needs no mention and it will be interesting to see how the addition of Natasha Howard will affect the league from now on. And, of course, there will be an adjustment period for Ohio-born as the Fever integrates her into the offense. So, is it time for the WNBA teams to take the Herb Simon-owned team seriously?

Did the Clark-led Indiana Fever triumph free-agency?

After years of warming up at the bottom of the table, the Indiana-based team does not seem to lose momentum. Their free agency is turning out to be fruitful and is giving fans hope for the upcoming season. After letting Christie Sides go, the organization brought back Stephanie White for her second tenure in Indiana. However, changing the coach was only part of the puzzle. They needed top-level talent, and they needed to be in sync. Furthermore, rumors had Kelsey Mitchell leaving the team as well, which would have torn up their entire core. But what went right?

Fortunately, they managed to extend Mitchell, and even brought in Natasha Howard to give the team a fresh burst of energy! But that’s not all, the Indiana Fever has been very busy this off-season. In a groundbreaking three-team trade with Phoenix and Dallas, the Fever has procured Sophie Cunningham too. The six-one guard was traded away so that the Mercury could sign Satou Sabally. Indiana had to trade away their eighth overall pick, but got the nineteenth in return, alongside the overall production of Cunningham.

With how the Indiana Fever is making moves, a championship doesn’t look to be too far off for them. Their frontcourt looks formidable, and their bench is solid. Caitlin Clark has all the pieces that she might need to reach the promised land. What do you think? Who won this trade? Were Howard and Cunningham the missing pieces in Indiana? Only time will tell.