DeWanna Bonner hasn’t been with the Indiana Fever since June 12 and requested a trade
Aari McDonald averaged 11.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 3 games as a hardship signing earlier this season
The move gives the Indiana Fever $119,000 in cap space to sign a 12th player
SEATTLE – The Indiana Fever waived DeWanna Bonner on Wednesday morning, the team announced. Concurrently, they re-signed Aari McDonald to a standard rest-of-season contract at the veteran minimum.
Bonner has been away from the team since June 12, missing five games for personal reasons. Reports first surfaced Tuesday afternoon Bonner did not intend to return to the Fever. In nine games with the Fever, Bonner averaged 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in about 21 minutes per game.
Bonner, a 16-year veteran standing at 6-4, was a coveted free-agent signing for the Fever in February, and Indiana hoped that she would bring some veteran leadership to the young core.
“I want to sincerely thank the Indiana Fever for the opportunity to be part of the Fever franchise,’ Bonner said in a news release. ‘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.”
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The Fever tried different lineups and combinations, which included moving Bonner to coming off the bench and putting Lexie Hull in the starting lineup, but they couldn’t get to a place where Bonner was feeling good about her role.
Bonner then requested a trade, according to people familiar with the situation. Indiana looked for trade opportunities, but the size of Bonner’s contract and the fact it’s only 14 games into the season made it difficult to find a suitable team.
Bonner signed with the Fever for $200,000, unprotected, per Her Hoop Stats, so the Fever are able to waive her without a buyout or any monetary penalty. Bonner will end up taking up about $64,000 of the Fever’s cap space for the 14 games she was on the roster.
Bonner will hit the waiver wire for 48 hours, which will allow a team to pick her up and assume her contract. If she is not claimed on waivers within those 48 hours, she will become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team for as low as the prorated veteran minimum.
Waiving Bonner will free up the cap space for Indiana to sign McDonald, who will sign for the prorated veteran minimum of around $53,000. That is on top of the $6,000 she made while on a hardship contract with the Fever earlier this month.
McDonald is a four-year WNBA veteran, getting drafted to the Atlanta Dream out of Arizona with the No. 3 pick in 2021. She played three seasons with Atlanta before she was traded to Los Angeles ahead of the 2024 season, then played one season with the Sparks. She originally signed an extension with the Sparks for 2025, but Los Angeles waived her in the final days of training camp.
“I’m so excited to rejoin the Fever. Although my time with the team was brief, it immediately felt like the place to be,” McDonald said. “I’m grateful for the warm welcome from the coaches, teammates, and fans—and most of all, I thank God for the incredible journey I’m on.”
“From the moment she arrived in Indy, Aari was a clear fit with the style and mentality we are building here with the Fever,” Fever COO and general manager Amber Cox said in a news release. “Though only here a few games, her impact as a playmaker and a defender was evident. We are very excited to welcome her back for the remainder of the season.”
This move also allows the Fever the cap space of about $119,000 to sign a 12th player to their roster. Indiana is aiming to sign a frontcourt player for that final spot in hopes of filling the gap that Bonner left.
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