After Front Office Sports (FOS) reported that DeWanna Bonner had “no interest in returning to the Indiana Fever,” on Tuesday, the Fever officially granted Bonner her unconditional release on Wednesday. Per Chloe Peterson of the Indy Star, the Fever have officially waived Bonner. Additionally, Indiana has also re-signed Aari McDonald to a standard rest-of-season contract at the veteran minimum.
In a statement following the release, Bonner said, “I want to sincerely thank the Indiana Fever for the opportunity to be part of the Fever franchise. Despite our shared goals and excitement heading into the season, I felt the fit did not work out and I appreciate the organization’s willingness to grant my request to move on, particularly at this point in my career. I wish the Fever great success as they continue to build around this dynamic group of young players.”
Her last game played for the Fever was June 10, where she logged 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. On June 12, Bonner began her leave from the team, in which Indiana cited her absence as personal reasons.
Bonner signed an unprotected, one-year deal worth $200,000 with the Fever this offseason. By releasing Bonner, the Fever only owe her a pro-rated amount of her contract, which is approximately $64,000. Teams have 48 hours to claim Bonner from the waiver wire. If she goes unclaimed within that period she is free to sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent.
Annie Costabile reported for FOS that Bonner’s preferred destinations are with the Phoenix Mercury or Atlanta Dream. Further reporting from Costabile tells us “teams have been advised not to pick Bonner up off of waivers because her preference would be to sign with the Mercury.” Still, nothing has been set in stone. Phoenix would need to cut an additional player to stay within the WNBA’s 12-player roster maximum.
We should note that the current veteran’s minimum contract is worth $78,831. Of the two reported preferred destinations, Phoenix has the cap room ($88,103) to sign DeWanna Bonner. However, Atlanta ($23,939) would need to make an additional roster move in order to sign her.
All information is current as of 12:15 p.m. on June 25, 2025 unless otherwise noted.
Updated 11 a.m. on June 26, 2025.