DeWanna Bonner played her first game with the Atlanta Dream after signing with the team for the rest of the season. After agreeing to a contract buyout from the Phoenix Mercury for what could be her last shot at the title, Bonner had several options to choose from. She was being linked to the Minnesota Lynx, New York, Dallas and the Dream. According to WNBA reporter Christian Conway, the 39-year-old WNBA veteran chose Atlanta considering both basketball and non-basketball factors.
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“They play really hard night in and night out. They play fast-paced. They shoot threes. I love to shoot threes,” Bonner said, per Conway on X. “I’m like an hour, thirty minutes from home, from my hometown, about two hours from Auburn… Probably a couple hours from my kids.
“Great basketball, great location for me at the end of my career. My mom can drive down and see me play. So yeah, just everything kind of, you know, all aligned….”
Family clearly remains Bonner’s top priority. Bonner shares custody of her twin daughters, Cali and Demi, with former partner Candice Dupree.
Bonner agreed to a contract buyout with the Mercury last Monday, after the team was officially declared out of playoff contention. She has been one of the Mercury’s longest-tenured players in her first 10 WNBA seasons with them after the team selected her fifth overall in the 2009 draft.
Bonner has earned a lot of respect in Phoenix. It was one of the reasons that the Mercury agreed to a contract buyout with her, according to GM Nick U’Ren. The Mercury wanted to give her “the opportunity to chase a title in what could be her final postseason.”
Two days after signing the buyout, Bonner cleared waivers on Wednesday to sign with the Dream. According to The Athletic, “Bonner’s deal will be for a prorated maximum salary, which would pay her roughly $116,000 through the rest of the season.”
“DeWanna has been an important part of our team and brought tremendous leadership, experience and competitiveness to the Mercury,” U’Ren said in a statement. “Because of the relationship we have with DeWanna, we worked out a buyout agreement that gives her the opportunity to chase a title in what could be her final postseason.”
In light of the move, Atlanta waived Aaliyah Nye and Jaylyn Sherrod. Dream has already qualified for the playoffs, which gives her a big opportunity to chase her third title. With 15 seasons with playoff appearances under her belt, the 39-year-old has won two titles and has missed the playoffs just once in her career. She has averaged 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in the postseason, which gives the Dream a stable veteran presence to lead the team in tough situations.
In 37 games with the Mercury this season, Bonner averaged 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. She appeared in the Dream’s game against the Minnesota Lynx and scored seven points and four rebounds in 17 minutes. The Dream have four games remaining in this season, and they can use the time to build chemistry with the team.
Bonner could retire after this season. However, she is yet to make a decision on her future. In her final goodbye to Phoenix fans, Bonner admitted that she still had no idea what the future held for her.