Plus, she has a championship resume.

Howard won WNBA titles in 2017 with Minnesota, the team Clark grew up cheering for, and in 2018 and 2020 with Seattle. She was also part of EuroLeague title teams in 2023 and 2024, Turkish league title teams in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and the 2023 FIBA EuroCup Super Women champs.

That’s a key benefit for one of the league’s youngest and most promising teams, which rallied from a 1-10 start to finish 20-20 and make its first playoff appearance since 2016. Her experience could help the last two WNBA Rookies of the Year — Clark and 6-foot-5 forward Aliyah Boston — take additional steps forward after each made last year’s All-Star team.

Earlier this week, the Fever made another key move by signing All-Star shooting guard Kelsey Mitchell, keeping Indiana’s nucleus intact for what they hope will be a deeper playoff run than last year’s first-round exit.

And with Howard returning to Indiana, the Fever roster looks even stronger. Howard was originally drafted by the Fever with the fifth overall pick in 2014. Two years later, she was dealt to the Lynx. She has since played for the Storm, the New York Liberty and the Wings while also playing professionally in Israel, Cyprus, China, Italy, Russia and Turkey.