DeWanna Bonner landing spots: Three WNBA championship contenders who could add star veteran
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- DeWanna Bonner agreed to a buyout with the Phoenix Mercury (13-24), who were officially eliminated from playoff contention, giving the 6-time All-Star a shot at a title run in what could be her final WNBA season.
- Phoenix GM Nick U'ren said the sides "worked out a buyout agreement that gives her the opportunity to chase a title in what could be her final postseason," calling Bonner someone who "will always be part of the Mercury family."
- The Atlanta Dream (24-13, fourth in the standings) have the cap space to sign Bonner and the second-fewest bench points per game in the league (17.4), making them a logical fit as Angel Reese plays "some of the best basketball of her career."
- The Las Vegas Aces need depth after Chennedy Carter's departure and NaLyssa Smith's non-contact left knee injury, but the reigning champions lack the cap space and would need a hardship exception to sign Bonner.
- The New York Liberty (23-15) have cap space and could use frontcourt help with Satou Sabally away indefinitely due to lingering concussion symptoms, though the article questions whether they are a "serious championship contender."
- Minnesota (the current top seed) would love another lengthy wing but has no cap space, while the Dallas Wings have room to spend but are labeled a "championship longshot" after losing rookie Azzi Fudd.
- Bonner, a 39-year-old 6-foot-4 wing in her 17th WNBA season, is averaging 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds and ranks in the top five for most career rebounds in league history, with championships in 2009 and 2014 already on her résumé.
Why it matters: A top-five all-time WNBA rebounder hits the late-season market, but cap-space realities shrink the suitor pool — the champion Aces need a hardship exception, the top-seeded Lynx are locked out entirely, and only the Dream and Liberty can actually sign her. That concentrates late-season title-window leverage into Atlanta and New York.
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