Sometimes you need to go back to where it all started. That's the route DeWanna Bonner is taking, as ESPN reports the 16-year WNBA veteran is signing with Phoenix Mercury, the team that drafted her, and where she won two WNBA titles.
Bonner started the season with the Indiana Fever, but it was pretty clear early on that her fit in Indiana was clunky, and Bonner asked for the chance to play elsewhere. She didn't seem to hold any negative feelings toward Fever fans... but I don't really think Fever fans will be rooting her on in her next stop. Regardless, Bonner now gets the chance to start anew with a Mercury team that's already exceeding expectations.
If Bonner can look even close to how she did in any of the 15 seasons before this year... then Phoenix may have just set itself up to compete for a WNBA championship — if they weren't going to already.
Projected Phoenix Mercury lineup after adding DeWanna Bonner
Position | Starter | Bench |
|---|---|---|
Point guard | Monique | Lexi Held |
Shooting guard | Kahleah Copper | Sami |
Small forward | Alyssa Thomas | Kitija |
Power forward | Satou Sabally | Kathryn |
Center | DeWanna Bonner | Kalani Brown |
This, of course, isn't an exact science. Laksa isn't really a small forward, and Natasha Mack (and others) might still get a few minutes, especially if the team continues to battle injuries like it currently is.
But this is at least what I think the Mercury rotation will look like when fully healthy. Rookie Monique
Akoa Makani has been one of the best (and most overlooked) surprises in the league this year, while Copper, Thomas and Sabally will obviously retain their starting spots with the Bonner addition.
I think Bonner takes over Westbeld's starting spot, and moves Westbeld to a sixth-player role off the bench. But there's a chance head coach Nate Tibbets sticks with a lineup that's working very well in 2025 and brings Bonner off the bench to start.
Mercury may have just changed the WNBA season with Bonner addition
I know basketball is a what have you done for me lately sport, and Bonner didn't do much of anything in Indiana. But if you look at the 502 games she played before getting to Indy, and judge her off those, instead of the nine she played so far this year... this still feels like a pretty important midseason pickup for a team that has already looked like a Finals contender without Bonner.
The Mercury were dispatched easily by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs in 2024. During the offseason, they added two huge pieces in Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally, who immediately transformed them into a borderline contender. They may have just added the player who gets them over the top in a wide open W, and it didn't cost them a thing.