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Fever's Sophie Cunningham clears the air amid contract chatter originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
On the latest episode of her "Show Me Something" podcast, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham seemed to express some dissatisfaction with her free agency process, which led to her re-signing with the Fever on a one-year contract.
Cunningham, a seven-year veteran, told her podcast co-host West Wilson that the offer she received from Indiana fell a bit below her expectations.
While she is getting a substantial pay bump following the ratification of a historic new collective bargaining agreement, the sharpshooting Cunningham — whose 2025 season ended prematurely due to a knee injury — called her free agency "frustrating," even if it resulted in her re-signing with a team where she proved to be an immediate fan favorite.
"That was kind of frustrating because I'm someone who... I kinda shoot it straight, where if I wasn't feeling good or I was hesitant, I think I would have said something and been honest," Cunningham said on her podcast. "Because I'm just at the point in my career where I just want to win."
MORE: Sophie Cunningham says quiet part out loud about Fever contract
Amid a wave of online speculation, Cunningham "shut down" the discourse on Tuesday morning, when she took to X to clarify her stance on her new contract.
"I'm not mad about the money," Cunningham wrote. "I just wanted more years because I love it here. I wanted to get a house so I could bring my dog and donkey to Indy with me. That's it."
From Fever training camp, Cunningham told reporters on Tuesday that her goal in free agency was to "get established" somewhere and settle down.
Cunningham claimed that she had multi-year offers on the table but prioritized a return to Indiana, which is why she accepted the Fever's one-year deal in the end — even if it doesn't provide much security for her.
Two factors arguably worked against Cunningham when she hit the market: her MCL injury and the Fever's salary cap situation.
Not only did the injury give potential suitors some pause as to whether she could contribute, but the Fever also wanted to prioritize securing the long-term futures of franchise pillars Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.
While Clark is not extension-eligible until next year, Boston last week agreed to the richest contract by total value in WNBA history. Even Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana's All-WNBA shooting guard, only re-signed on a one-year supermax contract as both sides try to maintain flexibility in 2027 and beyond.
As Cunningham mentioned, though, winning is what matters most to her. And if Indiana is healthy in 2026, the Fever should be doing plenty of winning.
More WNBA news:
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- Aliyah Boston’s injury update just changed everything for the Fever
- Ranking every WNBA team's starting fives in 2026
- Caitlin Clark gets great news as 'one of the best prospects ever' joins Fever following WNBA Draft
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