Report: Natasha Howard Lands Fever Contract in WNBA Free Agency to Join Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark is reportedly getting another high-profile teammate.
ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported Friday that veteran forward Natasha Howard agreed to a new deal with the Indiana Fever. This will be her second stint with Indiana, which drafted her with the No. 5 overall pick in 2014.
Howard was a secondary contributor during the first two seasons of her career on the Fever but eventually developed into an All-Star and defensive leader during future stops. She has played for the Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, New York Liberty and Dallas Wings as well.
The 33-year-old was in Dallas the last two seasons and is coming off one of the best scoring efforts of her career in 2024.
She averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals a night while shooting 45.6 percent from the field as a bright spot for a Wings team that struggled on the way to a 9-31 record.
It was yet another impressive season in a career that includes three championships (2017 with Minnesota, 2018 with Seattle and 2020 with Seattle), the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, the 2018 Most Improved Player, two All-Star selections, two All-Defensive First Team nods and a spot on the 2019 All-WNBA First Team.
This move comes after the Fever announced Wednesday they re-signed Kelsey Mitchell, further underscoring their push toward championship contention with Clark leading the way.
Indiana reached the playoffs last season for the first time since the 2016 campaign but lost in the first round to the Connecticut Sun. Considering it was Clark's rookie season and the team went 13-27 the year before, all indications were the future is quite bright.
And now it is even brighter after re-signing Mitchell and adding a veteran leader like Howard.
Howard is also the type of experienced player who has reached the sport's highest stage who can help a young Fever team turn the corner when facing the postseason pressure. She should form quite the one-two punch in the frontcourt with Aliyah Boston as Indiana gears up for the 2025 campaign.
