Indiana Fevercenter Damiris Dantas will not play for the team again this year, the team announced on August 4.
Dantas, 33, had knee surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus in her left knee. Dantas will miss the rest of the 2026 WNBA season.
Dantas signed a two-year deal with the Fever in the offseason, but has been in and out of the rotation. She has seen a reduction in minutes, dropping from roughly 11 minutes over the last two seasons with the Fever to 8.2 minutes this season.
Dantas was averaging a career-low 3.3 points per matchup on 40.6% shooting from the field plus 1.5 rebounds before her early exit.
Dantas has played 11 seasons in the WNBA, spending time with the Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream and Fever. Throughout her career, she has averaged
6.8 points on 41.7% shooting, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Dantas' injury leaves limited depth behind starting center Aliyah Boston. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, Indiana will likely have to sign another player to help fill the gap left by Dantas' departure. Possible names in consideration could include veteran free agents Kalani Brown and Teaira McCowan. Brown most recently played for the Phoenix Mercury in 2025, and McCowan played for Minnesota earlier this season.
The Fever could also opt to go smaller behind Boston and increase forward Makayla Timpson's minutes, who has proven to be reliable depth. Timpson is seeing a career-high 15.9 minutes per contest while adding 4.2 points on 62% shooting from the floor and four rebounds.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fever frontcourt depth takes hit with Damiris Dantas out for season
