- Natasha Howard is expected to receive a contract near the max with the Indiana Fever
- Howard was selected 5th in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever in 2015
- What this means for the Fever’s pursuit of Satou Sabally and NaLyssa Smith’s role with the team
Natasha Howard is returning to Indiana.
According to a report from ESPN, veteran power forward Natasha Howard will sign with the Indiana Fever for the 2025 season, returning to the team that drafted her 10 years ago.
Indiana originally picked Howard fifth in the 2015 WNBA Draft, and she played two seasons for Indiana before she was traded to Minnesota. Howard turned into a defensive juggernaut after she left Indiana, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. This time around, she will immediately bolster Indiana’s defensive scheme.
Howard will bring a veteran, championship-winning presence to the frontcourt as a three-time WNBA champion — 2017 with Minnesota, and ’18 and ’20 with Seattle. Her 6-2 frame and 10 years of experience make her a perfect pair with Fever center Aliyah Boston, who is going into her third year.
Howard, who is now 33, is coming off a partial season with the Dallas Wings after sustaining a broken foot in the season-opener. That injury kept her out over a month, but it didn’t slow her down on the court when she returned. In 27 games last season, Howard averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game — her second-best season points average of her career.
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What this means for Indiana Fever and Satou Sabally
This signing also means Howard’s former teammate, Satou Sabally, will likely not be coming to the Fever. Sabally, who was cored by Dallas but is actively looking for a trade out of the franchise, was rumored to be interested in the Fever, but took meetings with New York and Phoenix during the free agency negotiation period.
What this means for NaLyssa Smith’s role with Indiana Fever
Howard, who will command a near-max salary, will likely slot directly into the 4 spot in the Fever’s starting lineup. This calls into question what the Fever are planning to do with forward NaLyssa Smith, who has been in that spot since she was drafted in 2022. Compared to her first few years on the Fever, Smith had a down year in 2024, averaging 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. She was relegated to the bench a couple times in favor of Temi Fagbenle, and she was vocal about her disappointment with the lack of playing time.
The Fever have a couple options with Smith: They could simply keep her on the roster and ask her to accept less playing time coming off the bench in 2025, they could trade her, or they could agree to a contract buyout. Either way, Smith’s role on the team will change dramatically with this signing.
