When her second WNBA season begins next spring, Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever teammates will be playing for a different coach.

The Fever announced the firing of Christie Sides on Sunday, saying it is “imperative that we remain bold and assertive.” The move increased the number of the WNBA’s 12 teams looking for a coach to six, with Indiana joining Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Washington and Atlanta.

“We are incredibly thankful to Coach Sides for embracing the challenge of leading us through an integral transition period over the last two seasons, while also positioning us well for future growth,” Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf said in a statement. “While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana.

“Coach Sides was an incredible representative of the Fever and our community, and we wish her nothing but success in the future.”

Indiana made Clark the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft and, after her rookie season got off to a 1-8 start, the team improved and advanced to the playoffs as the No. 6 seed. Indiana was swept by Connecticut in the best-of-three first round.

Sides posted a 33-47 (.413) record in the regular season. This season, she helped the Fever, with a roster that includes back-to-back WNBA rookies of the year Clark and Aliyah Boston, to its first postseason appearance since 2016.

Sides received the sole coach of the year vote that didn’t go to Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve or New York’s Sandy Brondello, whose teams reached the WNBA Finals.

Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Connecticut Coach Stephanie White, who is under contract through next season, has been in talks with three teams, including the Fever, about becoming their coach. White played for and was an assistant coach with the Fever.