NaLyssa Smith is in a difficult situation at work. The Indiana Fever forward’s 2024 season was very volatile and she saw her minutes dwindle as the playoffs got closer. Coach Christie Sides’ vision did not include a key role for her, and the 24-year-old thought about opening the exit door. However, a larger storyline emerged in Round 1 of the playoffs as the Fever took on the Connecticut Sun and Smith faced off against her friend Dijonai Carrington.

Carrington was a standout player for the Sun all season and also earned Most Improved Player honors. She averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 40.8% from the field. Against the up-and-coming Indiana team, she scored 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in Game 1 and managed a decent 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist to knock them out of the playoffs.

For NaLyssa Smith, it was a bittersweet moment. The team she played for was eliminated early, but the person she loved most took another step closer to her dream of a WNBA championship. In the fourth game of the semifinals between Sun and Lynx, the enmity between Fever and Sun took a back seat. Smith made her presence known in court. She supported Carrington throughout and even rocked her number 21 Sun jersey.

Carrington finished the game with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as a full team effort from the Sun forced Game 5 against the Lynx in their 92-82 win. After the game, the power couple shared a warm hug and posed for a photo on the sidelines, as they did after the Sun’s “Fever” shoot two weeks ago. Wouldn’t it be great if they played on the same team?

Can NaLyssa Smith go to the Sun with her friend Dijonai Carrington?

In April of this year, Indiana Fever exercised a fourth-year option on NaLyssa Smith’s contract. This meant she would be tied to the team through the 2025 season. However, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft was anything but happy with his reduced role at the start of the season. Ultimately, she finished the regular season as the Fever’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1 assist.

However, after she went scoreless in the Fever’s two first-round playoff games, there were calls on social media for her to be cut from the team. Surprisingly, Dijonai Carrington was okay with this idea, but in a caring way. “Free NaLyssa” was her message to Christie Sides and the Fever. Speculation about Smith’s exit increased when she changed her Instagram bio. Where the name “Indiana Fever” previously stood has just been replaced with “WNBA” in her bio.

Unless the Fever sticks with Smith and she continues to play in the same capacity, they could negotiate an exit before the 2025 season. Although The Sun has loudly expressed no interest in her, there is another team in the mix. The Golden State Valkyries could sign her in the expansion draft if the Fever doesn’t add her to their Protected 6 list. There are few options, but the 6-foot-1 striker has proven her skills in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. If it can rise from the ashes of this 2024 low, endless possibilities await.