After two seasons leading the front office for one of the most scrutinized teams in the WNBA, Amber Cox is out as the general manager of the Indiana Fever.
Cox inherited a Fever team with big expectations after it had built a core of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston through the draft. One of her first major moves — coming less than a month after she joined the franchise — was hiring Stephanie White away from the Connecticut Sun to coach the team.
In two seasons with Cox deciding on the Fever’s roster construction, the team went 52-36 in the regular season and 5-6 in the postseason. Indiana was ousted in the first round of playoffs this season by the Las Vegas Aces.
Cox’s firing wasn’t the only shakeup within the organization this week. Team president Kelly Krauskopf stepped down as well.
The Fever have major decisions to make this offseason. After a career-best season — where she was second in the WNBA in scoring — Kelsey Mitchell is a free agent and will likely command a max contract. Additionally, role player Sophie Cunningham, who ranked seventh in the league in 3-point shooting (41.9%) and third in points per scoring attempt (1.31), is also set to hit the open market.
Whoever Indiana hires as its next general manager will be tasked with maximizing a pair of Team USA talents entering the prime of their careers — Clark and Boston — and building a team around them that can contend for championships.
Let’s take a look at a few potential candidates.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin
A Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who now leads the Upshot League as its deputy commissioner, McWilliams-Franklin has been mentored by former WNBA president Donna Orender and previously worked for the WNBA as the player relations and development manager. She also worked in basketball operations with the NBA, and has been a WNBA and college coach.
McWilliams-Franklin was a decorated player. A former NAIA National Player of the Year, she helped the Connecticut Sun reach the Finals twice before winning a championship with the Detroit Shock in 2008 and Minnesota Lynx in 2011. The six-time All-Star ranks fourth all-time in offensive rebounds.
Eli Horowitz
Horowitz has been around the WNBA for a decade. A former journalist and college coach, he worked his way up through the ranks of the Los Angeles Sparks from director of communications to assistant general manager and vice president of scouting and analytics. Last June, when the expansion Toronto Tempo were laying the groundwork for their organization, they hired Horowitz to be assistant general manager and senior vice president of basketball strategy.
The graduate of Vanderbilt and Columbia has seen the WNBA from all angles. Horowitz has established a track record in scouting, salary cap management and analytics. His background in communications could help a high-profile organization like the Fever with public relations too.
Swin Cash
An accomplished Hall of Fame player in the WNBA, Cash was also an executive in the NBA for six seasons, working as the vice president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. She’s someone who brings institutional knowledge of the WNBA as a former player along with front office experience.
The UConn product won three WNBA championships, was a four-time All-Star and named to the WNBA’s 20th and 25th anniversary teams. This season, she’s seen the Fever and other WNBA teams from a different angle, working as an analyst for Amazon Prime broadcasts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana Fever GM candidates: Potential replacements for Amber Cox