JUST IN: Fresno’s Queen Joins Indiana Fever ‘Under Hardship’ as Temporary Replacement for Injured Caitlin Clark…
With injuries mounting across the Indiana Fever’s roster, the team has added a new point guard to temporarily help fill the gap left by Caitlin Clark’s absence due to a quad strain. To address the shortage, the Fever utilized the WNBA’s hardship exception rule to sign Aari McDonald on a temporary contract on Monday.
McDonald, who was unexpectedly released by the Los Angeles Sparks just ahead of the 2024 season, brings a solid background of WNBA experience. However, there are also reasons she was available at this stage in the season, which we’ll explore later. First, let’s take a closer look at who Aari McDonald is.
Background on Aari McDonald
McDonald gained national attention during her collegiate career at the University of Arizona, where she led the Wildcats on a thrilling NCAA tournament run. Her team shocked UConn in the Final Four and reached the national championship game, narrowly losing to Stanford.
Her standout performance propelled her to the No. 3 overall selection in the 2021 WNBA Draft, despite questions about her scoring efficiency. She went on to play three seasons with the Atlanta Dream, primarily serving as a bench contributor.
Though she made progress in some areas, inconsistent shooting continued to hinder her performance. In the 2023 offseason, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks.
During her stint with the Sparks, McDonald appeared in 26 games, starting in 10. She averaged 8.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.9 steals per game last season.
What McDonald Offers the Fever
With Clark sidelined, the Fever are seeking two key things: an additional playmaker to support Kelsey Mitchell and more perimeter shooting.
McDonald can help somewhat with the former. She’s not known for taking care of the ball well enough to be a lead point guard, but she can serve as a capable secondary ball-handler in a pinch.
In terms of shooting, McDonald has a career 3-point shooting percentage of 32.3%—not particularly impressive but passable. Given the Fever’s team average of 33.6% from beyond the arc, her presence likely won’t significantly shift their shooting efficiency in either direction.
Defensively, McDonald showed strong potential early in her career, including ranking fifth in the WNBA in steal percentage in 2022. Though her defensive stats have declined recently, a reduced offensive workload in Indiana may allow her to contribute more on that end. The Fever currently rank 10th in the league in steals per game, an area McDonald could help improve.
Understanding the Emergency Hardship Exception
The WNBA permits teams to sign players to hardship contracts when injuries drop their roster below 10 available players. Due to their current injury situation, the Fever met that condition, enabling them to bring in McDonald temporarily.
This deal will expire once the team returns to 10 healthy, active players—likely when Caitlin Clark is cleared to play again. Unless further injuries arise, McDonald’s stint with the Fever will likely be short-lived.
She is the second player to be signed via a hardship exception this season. The Sparks previously used the rule to sign rookie Liatu King from Notre Dame on May 20.
