Indiana Fever cuts Caitlin Clark teammate before WNBA opener against Angel Reese

Ahead of the WNBA season opener against the Chicago Sky, new Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has made a tough decision to cut Caitlin Clark’s teammate ahead of the roster deadline

The Indiana Fever have waived guard Jaelyn Brown as new head coach Stephanie White prepares to lead her team into its WNBA opener versus Angel Reese.

The 26-year-old embarked on a career overseas following her college days at the University of California, Berkeley, before her move to the Dallas Wings last year. After being traded to the Fever in February, her stay in Indianapolis has proven brief after her three appearances in preseason.During these outings, the star averaged 3.0 points on 26.6 percent shooting, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across 13.7 minutes but was unable to convince head coach White of her merits. Cutting its roster down to 11 on the eve of the new WNBA campaign, Brown joined Jillian Alleyne and Bree Hall in being waived prior to the May 16 roster deadline.

Taking to X, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files confirmed Brown’s exit, before claiming that a 12th player will be added to the team’s roster in due course.

Fever coach White previously discussed the player’s attributes before acknowledging that she was agonizing over whether to keep the ace on for the upcoming season.

She said: “It’s tough. [Jaelyn Brown] is dynamic, she’s athletic, she has the ability to get downhill… she’s a great rebounding guard.

“It’s really difficult. I think we’re looking for, No. 1, someone who is gonna stay ready so they don’t have to get ready. Somebody who’s gonna be probably in and out of rotation, making sure that they’re okay with that.

“But also someone who’s gonna be a contributor on the floor and off the floor, I mean, in the locker room, in the huddles, being engaged.

“So it’s time to get to this position in the season, having to make that last cut. It makes it really, really tough,” she said, as rookie Makayla Timpson looks set to make the final roster instead.

White continued: “It’s a tough job to compare those two because they bring such different aspects to our team and to our game.”

Meanwhile, Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is setting her sights on an inaugural WNBA championship in her sophomore term as the season opener fast approaches on May 17 versus the Chicago Sky.

She outlined her objectives heading into the season, saying: “A championship, that’s our goal.

“It’s gonna take a lot of hard work, we got a new team, so it’s gonna take some time to put it all together.

“But I think everybody’s thankful that we got some really great vets that have won before, and then we got some people back, and then Steph’s amazing and her staff. So, just taking time to put it all together, but it should be a great season.”