Fans believe that the Indiana Fever could make a significant roster move after pulling Brianna Turner from a public appearance.
Indiana Fever’s Decision Before Valkyries Game Fuels Speculation originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
As the Indiana Fever prepared for an early tip-off against the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday, a personnel change fueled speculation of a shakeup at the back end of the roster.
The Fever recently waived forward DeWanna Bonner and are temporarily without forward Damiris Dantas due to international competition. Amid superstar guard Caitlin Clark's ongoing injury absence, they have been using nine active players.
However, at times, the rotation has only been eight players deep. Forward Brianna Turner, 29, has only appeared in two of Indiana's last four games, and she is averaging 4.1 minutes per game in the 2025 WNBA season.
When the team announced that Turner would not appear at a scheduled fan meet-and-greet event before the Valkyries game, many fans on social media took the innocuous news and ran with it.
On July 3, the Fever originally announced that Turner would join guard Lexie Hull at the meet-and-greet the day before the Valkyries game. On the graphic, the team warned: "player subject to change."
A change did come on Monday, when the team decided to replace Turner with guard Aari McDonald. Fans believed it was a sign that Turner could be released from the roster soon.
It sure was…I wonder if this means some roster movement is happening? I’m glad either way Aari is getting the opportunity
— christweet (@christweetsss) July 7, 2025
"That 'Thank you Bri Turner' coming SOON," wrote an X user on Monday.
"oh bri turner is gone," said another.
"Is Bri Turner getting cut??" A fan replied directly to the Fever. Another asked, "bri turner news soon?"
if they send you to one of these it’s already too late only one can survive pic.twitter.com/KnJs5fsdrV
— Claire: Caitlin Clark Style (@caitlinclarksty) July 7, 2025
Bree Hall, Yvonne Ejim and Bonner served as examples dug up by fans of players who appeared at similar events before getting released by the team.
With Dantas returning soon after finishing as runner-up with Brazil at the FIBA AmeriCup on Sunday, Turner's lack of playing time is unlikely to change.
Despite how it looks to a segment of the fan base, the writing is not on the wall for Turner, who also plays a key role in the locker room and serves as treasurer of the WNBA Players Association. As of Monday, the decision to take Turner off the public event is nothing more than that.
Related: Caitlin Clark Issues Demand to WNBA Commissioner
Related: Paige Bueckers’ Teammate Missing Sixth Straight Game on Monday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
