Caitlin Clark's teammate Katie Lou Samuelson’s $180,000 deal with Indiana Fever gets cut short abruptly

In the midst of a busy offseason for the Indiana Fever, Katie Lou Samuelson finds herself on the move. Reports emerged Monday morning of a mutual parting between player and franchise.

After not partaking in the 2023 season due to maternity leave, Samuelson signed a two-year deal with the Fever last offseason. On her return to play, she got to compete alongside Caitlin Clark in her historic rookie season.

Katie Lou Samuelson was set to make $180,000 this upcoming season, but that's no longer the case. She and the Fever are reportedly going their separate ways via a buyout. At this time, it's unknown how much Samuelson will make in her departure.

Samuelson appeared in 37 games in her lone season with the Fever, starting in nearly half of those instances. Playing just under 20 minutes a game, the veteran forward averaged 4.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Now a free agent, Samuelson is free to sign with whatever team she chooses. This will continue her journey around the WNBA, as she's yet to find a long-term home. Since being drafted No. 4 overall by the Chicago Sky back in 2019, Samuelson has suited up for five different franchises. Her other stops include the Dallas Wings, Seattle Storm and LA Sparks.

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Katie Lou Samuelson draws tough matchup in Unrivaled's one-on-one tournament

While she surveys the free agent market to find a home in the WNBA, Katie Lou Samuelson continues to partake in the first season of Unrivaled. As the league begins one of its biggest attractions, she finds herself pitted against one of the league's top stars.

Aside from the games being 3-on-3 full-court, Unrivaled also did something different with its presentation on the product. This week will begin a one-on-one tournament of players from across all six clubs.

Players were seeded and then tossed into a bracket for the one-on-one tournament. Katie Lou Samuelson was picked as a No. 8 seed and has to face off against No. 1 Napheesa Collier to kick off the action. Round one of the competition begins on Monday.

Along with being one of the co-founders of Unrivaled, Collier has also been one of the league's top performers. She's leading the league in scoring, averaging 29.3 points to go along with 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

As for Samuelson, she has played a smaller role for "Phantom BC" to kick off the season. Through her first seven games, she's averaging 6.1 points and 2.3 rebounds.

It's going to be a very tall task, but Samuelson could turn a lot of heads if she's able to pull off a massive upset against Collier in the one-on-one tournament.