Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has officially accepted a one-year, $665,000 contract to remain in Indiana for the 2026 season, a raise of more than 500% over her previous reported salary of roughly $100,000 . The deal was not without controversy, however, as the 29-year-old guard publicly expressed frustration that the contract was only for one year .
Why Cunningham Called the Deal “Frustrating”
Cunningham clarified that her frustration had nothing to do with the money. The issue was the length of the contract .
“I’m almost 30 years old. I want to have a home. I want to get established,” Cunningham said. “I wanted to get a house so I could bring my dog and donkey to Indy with me .”
She explained that after tearing her MCL in August 2025, she was unable to fully showcase herself to other teams during the condensed free agency period. “If you don’t get in front of these people, it’s like, ‘Hey, are you actually good?'” she said .
The Real Reason She Stayed
Despite the one-year term, Cunningham revealed she turned down multi-year offers from other teams to return to Indiana . Her decision was driven by two factors: the team’s culture and its competitive potential.
“When you find a group of girls who really make you fall in love with basketball games and you enjoy it… you want to hold on to that,” Cunningham said. “It was never about the money, it was just about the years, because I wanted to be with them” .
She also noted that Indiana is closer to her hometown of Columbia, Missouri .
The Team’s Salary Cap Strategy
The Fever’s insistence on one-year deals was a deliberate financial strategy. With the new CBA’s EPIC provision (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract), the team is positioning itself to pay massive extensions to its young stars .
Aliyah Boston has already had her salary bumped to $1 million, and Caitlin Clark will become eligible to negotiate a max or supermax contract in 2027 . Keeping veterans like Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell (who signed a one-year, $1.4 million supermax) on short deals gives Indiana maximum flexibility for those future commitments .
Proving It on the Court
Cunningham has responded with the best shooting season of her career. Through 39 games, she’s averaging 8.3 points while shooting 46.9% from the field and a career-high 43.4% from three-point range .
She described the short-term deal as motivation: “It kind of lit a fire under my ass even more… I’m shooting the ball well, I’m mentally in a great spot” .
The Fever currently sit at 26-14 and are in playoff position, with Cunningham serving as a key veteran presence and floor spacer alongside the team’s star backcourt of Clark and Mitchell .
