For most people, walking into a fairytale ending would be a no-brainer. But DeWanna Bonner isn’t most people. She had the chance to return to Phoenix, the franchise that drafted her in 2009, where she spent the first decade of her WNBA career, and where her fiancé, Alyssa Thomas, was already waiting. A full-circle reunion was right there for the taking. Instead, Bonner took a different path. She chose to reunite with former Sun coach Stephanie White and join rising superstar Caitlin Clark in Indiana.
Why turn down the storybook script, you ask? “We’re both two different players,” Thomas said. “We approached this free agency as we both have our own careers, so her decision was her decision, and mine was mine.” Even if that meant living and playing 1,700 miles apart! And so far, Thomas seems to be thriving in Phoenix, averaging 14.3 points and 9.3 assists. As for Bonner, the jury’s still out, because what looked like a fresh start turned into a rough chapter.
She had to exit the Fever franchise. “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,” said Bonner. Honestly, it was a bummer. However, as soon as she exited Indy, the speculations around her reunion with the Mercury franchise began.
And recently, ESPN’s report only added fuel to those rumors. It read, “WNBA veteran guard/forward DeWanna Bonner is expected to sign with the Phoenix Mercury in the coming days. League sources told ESPN on Monday.” However, more than that, another recent development around this narrative might just be a hint towards something that’s going to happen (or not).
In the pregame interview vs. the Wings, an interviewer asked HC Nate Tibbetts, “There’s been reports of DeWanna Bonner reportedly siding with the Mercury. If she were to side with the mercury (because it’s not official technically) what would she add to this team?” Tibbetts took a moment to think of the perfect answer, one that would conceal information. However, seems like all he could manage to think of was a sloppy “who’s that?” to buy some time.
“Who’s that?”#Mercury HC Nate Tibbetts has no comment on DeWanna Bonner reportedly joining the team @Sports360AZ pic.twitter.com/2LdP9zD5Kf
— Eliav Gabay (@eliavgabay) July 8, 2025
Tibbetts managed to dodge the question, briefly, only to give himself away with a sneaky smile. When pressed further, all he offered was, “I have no comments on that.” Now, Nate Tibbetts is naturally a smiley guy, so that grin could mean everything or absolutely nothing. But if we’re looking for clues, one stands out pretty clearly: DeWanna Bonner’s courtside appearance at a Mercury game. She was spotted sitting right next to team president Vince Kozar during their matchup against the Wings. If that’s not a breadcrumb, what is?
The Clock’s Ticking on DeWanna Bonner
The WNBA’s midseason roster deadline is looming. And in an unusual turn of events, two star forwards: DeWanna Bonner and Emma Meesseman are up for grabs. They could impact teams’ final roster decisions greatly. All 13 franchises are supposed to make cuts by July 13 (24 hours before the season’s midpoint) for players on unprotected contracts. These non-guaranteed deals will allow teams to release players without any financial consequences. After this deadline, all contracts will become fully guaranteed.
DeWanna Bonner who is a six-time All-Star and two-time champion had inked a one-year, $200,000 unprotected contract with Indiana in February. But nine games later, she concluded that “it wasn’t a fit”. Following that, Indiana listed her as unavailable for “personal reasons” from June 10-24. Then they finally waived her on June 25. She became an unrestricted free agent after clearing waivers within 48 short hours. Multiple sources indicate that there was an initial league-wide expectation that Bonner would land in Phoenix. However, Meesseman’s potential return adds another wrinkle to the roster calculus for Bonner.
The 2019 Finals MVP hasn’t played in the WNBA since her 2022 $185,000 deal with Chicago, but the interest in signing her is reportedly “extending across the league.” Contenders like Minnesota, New York, and Phoenix are leading the pursuit following her EuroBasket championship performance (19.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 5.2 apg). Her possible signing could complicate any team’s (including Phoenix’s) wish to acquire Bonner first.
On top of that, the Mercury are already rostering 12 players. It means they would need to create space post-deadline to add Bonner. The veteran forward might still reunite with her former team. But with the deadline approaching and no decisions finalized, one report cautioned that “there’s always a chance this gets resolved in an unexpected way.”
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