Indiana Fever emergency signing gets brutal news after Caitlin Clark return update

Aari McDonald, the Indiana Fever’s emergency signing who played well for the team, received unfortunate news, being waived by the team after Caitlin Clark’s return from injury

Aari McDonald received tough news after it was announced Caitlin Clark will return to action against the New York Liberty on Saturday.

McDonald was signed in the wake of the Indiana Fever’s mounting injury issues, even impressing Clark and star forward Aliyah Boston in her debut against the Washington Mystics. The 26-year-old star provided stability at guard, especially as the Fever awaited news on Clark’s progression from her quad injury.

In her three games with the Fever, McDonald averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game, all coming off the bench. And while that level of production is needed, especially if the Fever are to reach their full potential as a championship team, Indiana was forced to waive McDonald because of the hardship contract she signed with the team.

As part of the WNBA’s CBA, teams are allowed to sign a player to a hardship contract if the number of available players falls to below 10. With Clark and Sophie Cunningham both dealing with their respective injuries, the Fever signed McDonald to bring that number back to 10.

Now that Clark and Cunningham are both set to return, the Fever released McDonald, despite her impressive showing with the team in a limited sample size. Still, Fever head coach Stephanie White was confident that the 26-year-old had done enough to stand out in the league.

“She’s gonna find a spot,” White told reporters Friday [h/t Chloe Peterson]. “That’s not, I don’t think that’s a debate right now. She’s been the ultimate pro. She came in ready to go.

“She had watched such a large amount of film just on her flight in here that you could tell already her high IQ. She’s a dog and we’re gonna miss her certainly. What she brought to the table for us and being able to come in at the point guard position and just really impact us right away was huge.

“But yeah, she’s not gonna have a problem finding a job.With the 26-year-old’s time in Indiana at an end, the Fever will have to make do with easing Clark back into action as she gears up to game shape. The quad injury forced Clark to miss games for the first time in her career.Throughout her absence, the superstar has been doing what she can to help the team from the sidelines. In the Fever’s recent win over the Chicago Sky, Clark was spotted coaching up her teammates despite not actually being on the floor with them.

As she gets ready to head back on the court, the 23-year-old made it clear just how much she had been waiting for the opportunity to play, even at the expense of McDonald.

“I’m really excited,” Clark revealed to reporters Friday. “I think it’s definitely been a process.

“I think the hardest part is when you like begin to feel really good and then it’s just a process of working yourself back into actually getting up and down and getting out there with my teammates.”