The Indiana Fever haven’t enjoyed the smoothest start of the season, dealing with injuries and defeats. To add to their challenges, it has been reported that DeWanna Bonner doesn’t want to return to play with the Fever.
According to Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile, league sources indicated that Bonner is seeking a trade and that she has two preferred landing spots: the Phoenix Mercury, her former team and where her fiancé Alyssa Thomas plays, and the Atlanta Dream.
The Fever signed Bonner during the offseason for one year, with a near-max deal of $200,000. The goal was for Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion and six-time All-Star, to elevate the pedigree of the team with her experience.
However, Bonner was expected to be a starter. But after three games, she was benched in favor of shooting guard Lexie Hull. Since then, Bonner played six games coming off the bench, and has the worst on-off differential on the team.
Bonner was averaging 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds on a career-worst 34.5% shooting from the field before her absence. Since June 10, she has missed five consecutive games. “I haven’t had a lot of conversations recently. Really been focused on the group that we have right here and what we need to do to position ourselves to win,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said Tuesday of Bonner, via Hawkeyes Wire.
Bonner breaks silence on social media but not mention of the Fever
As the news of her status with the Fever broke, Bonner also broke her social media silence with a post on Instagram but it wasn’t related to basketball. She posted a photo of her twin daughters, with the caption, “My greatest loves!! I love you!”.
Despite not confirming her exit, the message seems to confirm that she is doing ok, after fans grew worried of her absence on the court. Without Bonner, the Fever improved to 3-2, and 7-7 overall.
Replacing Bonner is no easy task. She’s a two-time All-WNBA First Team honoree, three-time Sixth Woman of the Year and considered a legend of the league. In her Fever debut on May 17, she passed Tina Thompson for third on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list with 7,546 points.