Despite impressing, Aari McDonald cut by Indiana Fever as hardship need expires

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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever released Aari McDonald on Friday, ending a three-game stint for the hardship player.
McDonald signed with the Fever June 1 on an emergency hardship contract, something WNBA teams can use when their game-available players drop below 10. Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham have been out with injuries since May 30, putting the Fever at nine available players.
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The Fever could only roster 11 players to begin the season because of salary cap limitations, but they were able to go over the cap to sign McDonald because of their hardship need.
With Clark and Cunningham's likely return for Saturday's game vs. the Liberty, the Fever are back up to 10 game-available players, and McDonald's contract was automatically terminated per the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement because Indiana's hardship need expired.
Why was Aari McDonald released? Explaining WNBA hardship contracts
McDonald was impressive in her three games with the Fever, averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 rebounds off the bench over 25.3 minutes per game. She brought a spark to the Fever with Clark out, helping push the pace in transition and facilitate the offense.
Aari McDonald #2 of the Indiana Fever dribbles the ball against the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 03, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
McDonald fit in well in her short time in Indianapolis, something she considered an audition to find a permanent spot on a roster — whether it be on the Fever or another team.
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"She's gonna find a spot, I don't think that's a debate right now," Fever coach Stephanie White said on Friday. "You know, she's been at the ultimate pro. She came in ready to go. You know, she had watched such such a large amount of film just on her flight in here. You could tell already her high IQ, you know, she's a dog, and we're going to miss her. Certainly, what she brought to the table for us, and being able to come in at the point guard position and just really impact us right away was huge. But, yeah, she's not gonna have a problem finding a job."
If the Fever want to re-sign McDonald on a standard contract immediately, they would first need to wait 10 days because of another CBA rule, then cut a player on an unprotected contract in order to clear up cap space to sign McDonald. They would also need to hope McDonald, who becomes an unrestricted free agent immediately upon her release, would not sign with another team in those 10 days.
The money the Fever paid McDonald over her hardship contract will still count against the cap, which will push back the day the Fever will be able to sign a 12th player on a standard contract.
McDonald signed for $51,974, per Richard Cohen of Her Hoop Stats, which is 75% of the veteran minimum salary. The Fever will not pay McDonald that entire sum, but a prorated amount that breaks down per day she is on the team — coming out to about $497 per day, or $6,461 for the 13 days she was with the Fever.
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So, the Fever's available cap space for the season dropped to $36,500. Indiana will still be able to sign a 12th player sometime in July, but the timing would depend on if they want to sign a player with 0-3 years of experience, which has a lower minimum, or someone with 4+ years of experience, who are subject to the veteran minimum.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at [e-mail] or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever release Aari McDonald as hardship exemption expires