Fever HC Stephanie White reveals Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston’s biggest condition before $504,666 blockbuster free agency 

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White's hiring has bolstered the team's depth around Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. The Fever acquired free agents in a splashy offseason, spending $504,666. They offered Natasha Howard a $214,666 contract, DeWanna Bonner a $200,000 deal, and Sydney Colson a $90,000 deal.

The Fever's plans seemed pretty clear with the kind of additions they made. They wanted playoff and championship experience around their core pieces, who would elevate them in the knockout stages after Indiana got swept in 2024 in the first round by White and Bonner's Connecticut Sun.

However, that wasn't the only thing the Fever, especially Clark, Boston and Mitchell, aimed for. During an appearance for Purdue University in their Presidential Lecture Series, Stephanie White gave insights into her young core's biggest condition before Indiana's league-altering free agency moves.

Here's what White said:

"Our priority was to find veterans because we had young, inexperienced talent, who want to be great, who want to be successful. But there's no substitute for experience."

Stephanie White revealed they wanted experienced players who understand they would be the leaders, who fit the team's mold around Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, and accepted that the trio is the focal point.

"Surrounding Caitlin, Aliyah and Kelsey with the right people is more important. But the No. 1 thing that each one of those players said when we got the job when we started free agency was, 'Take care of our locker room.' It's not win at all costs. Right? It's take care of our locker room."

Stephanie White explained that locker room harmony is critical on championship teams, so having players aligned on the same goal and together was important for Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. The Fever were careful with their choices, doing their due diligence and adding viable pieces.

Stephanie White said the Fever trio knew what was critical, and prioritizing that allowed them to see the big picture of "using the locker room to hang a banner" rather than "sacrificing" it.

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Caitlin Clark makes feelings clear on Stephanie White and Indiana Fever's blockbuster offseason

Caitlin Clark had similar thoughts about the Indiana Fever's free agent acquisitions as coach Stephanie White. Clark spoke glowingly about the new-look Fever roster with major additions of DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson.

"They know what it takes to win, they know what it takes to get to the Finals, they know what it takes to win championships," Clark said during an interview with reporters after Bonner's press conference on Tuesday.

"I think it's exactly what we needed in our locker room. But also they're not just really good basketball players, they're great leaders and great people and I know the front office prioritized that."

Bonner has the most playoff experience for any player in the WNBA, with 87 postseason games. She has also won two titles. Howard has 53 appearances in the knockouts and three championships. Meanwhile, Colson was on the Aces' 2022 and 2023 championship-winning rosters as a locker room leader.