The arrival of DeWanna Bonner in the Atlanta Dream was a clear sign of the franchise’s postseason plans, as they are looking to go all out to secure their first-ever WNBA championship. And while the current crop of stars hasn’t looked better, former WNBA player Chiney Ogwumike recently discussed the sacrifices the Dream had to make in their roster to secure Bonner’s signature for the rest of the season.
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“Now, there was another aspect because Atlanta did have to waive two guards when they signed DeWanna Bonner, Jaylyn Sherrod, and Aaliyah Nye. And so I did some research because they were already at the 12-player maximum on standard contracts,” Ogwumike said on the latest episode of ESPN’s Chiney Today.
“So they had to open up a standard roster spot. And so a developmental contract, you know, is separate from that, but still that’s why they had to waive two. And to me, that was unique, but this in my eyes, is high risk, high reward.”
Jaylyn Sherrod and Aaliyah Nye were the two players who had to see the door for the Dream to include the star veteran on their roster. Sherrod was on a 12-game developmental contract with the Dream, having already played 11 games. So the Dream decided to part ways with Sherrod instead of opting to renew her on a full contract and adding $190,663 to their salary cap space.
Meanwhile, Nye was claimed off waivers by the Dream this May, after she won the WNBA championship in her rookie year with the Las Vegas Aces. Although the Dream was expected to re-sign Nye, the Sparks claimed her after she cleared the waivers.
“You have young players that were contributing, you know, off the bench, but, but maybe you feel like you have to go all in and this year in the post season and try to stack as much playoff experience for this young core of players, you know, Allisha Gray, Ryan Howard, their experience, but you still maybe want to bring in that, that who has won a championship to sort of lead the way,” Ogwumike added.
Championship experience-wise, there might only be a few better than what DeWanna Bonner can offer the Dream. The 39-year-old is a two-time WNBA champion with 15 seasons’ worth of playoff experience. Bonner has averaged 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in the postseason, which gives the Dream more than enough firepower considering how they already have Angel Reese, Allisha Gray, and Rhyne Howard in the starting lineup.
Regardless, DeWanna Bonner showed a glimpse of her talents to Dream fans on Sunday when they hosted the Minnesota Lynx at Gateway Center Arena. Bonner came off the bench and recorded 7 points and 4 rebounds in 16 minutes. Reese, who herself joined the Dream this season, had some kind words to say about Bonner’s debut after the game.
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“Her energy, I told her, her first shot was gonna hit like crack, and it felt really good when she hit that three that I passed to her. I’m really happy to have her. She’s a great vet. And I’m super excited, so when I get back to be with her more.” Reese said of Bonner earlier this week.
The Dream are currently fourth in the WNBA standings, with a 26-14 record. Following the World Cup break, the Dream will face the New York Liberty twice, while also having a game each against the Connecticut Sun and the Chicago Sky. This will be good practice for DeWanna Bonner ahead of the all-important playoffs, where she would likely be at her best to try to clinch a third WNBA championship she has been chasing for a while now.