Report: DeWanna Bonner has 'no interest' in returning to Indiana Fever

It appears that the DeWanna Bonner experience with the Indiana Fever will be a short-lived one. According to Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, Bonner has “no interest” in returning to play for the Fever after an extended absence.

The guard, who signed a one-year deal with the team in free agency this offseason, has missed the past four games due to personal reasons. Costabile reported that she would now like to move on from the franchise with her preferred landing spots being the Phoenix Mercury or Atlanta Dream.

The guard started the first three games of the season for the Fever before moving to the bench and put up averages of 7.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in nine overall appearances. Her best game came on May 28 against the Washington Mystics, when she scored a team-high 21 points with star guard Caitlin Clark out due to injury.

It’s worth noting that Bonner’s fiancée, Alyssa Thomas, currently plays for the Mercury, one of Bonner’s two preferred destinations. The couple were previously teammates for five seasons on the Connecticut Sun from 2020-24.

Bonner also has another connection to the Mercury as she began her career there as the fifth overall pick out of Auburn in 2009. She played 10 seasons in Phoenix before being traded to Connecticut ahead of the 2020 season.

DeWanna Bonner is a six-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion with career averages of 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. She was one of numerous free agency additions for the Fever this offseason and was expected to be a key part of the starting lineup in their quest for a championship.

Of course, that hasn’t quite worked out like she hoped it would with her move to the bench. Indiana now has the option to either work out a trade or simply waive her for another team to pick up.

Bonner’s current contract is $200,000, so any team willing to trade for her would need to match that amount in what it gives back. The Mercury currently have $88,103 in cap space, so they would only to to give back roughly $110,000 of salary in a potential trade with the Fever.

If Indiana instead opts to waive Bonner, teams would have 48 hours to claim her at her current salary. If she is unclaimed after that, she would be a free agent and could sign with any team she chooses.