Indiana Fever exploring trade possibilities for DeWanna Bonner: Source

The Indiana Fever have looked at trade possibilities for DeWanna Bonner, a league source told The Athletic on Tuesday.

Bonner has no interest in returning to the Fever, according to Front Office Sports, with the Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury as her preferred destinations.

Bonner, a six-time All-Star, signed with Indiana this past offseason after playing the previous five years with the Connecticut Sun. In doing so, she reunited with coach Stephanie White, who coached her during her final two seasons with the Sun, and joined a franchise looking to contend this season.

But Bonner’s role with the Fever has been inconsistent. She started Indiana’s first three games, but was subsequently moved to the bench ahead of Indiana’s matchup with the New York Liberty on May 24. She has not played since June 10 for what the team called “personal reasons.” Bonner is not with the team amid its three-game road trip.

“She’s doing well, she’s doing well,” White said on Saturday. “Again, no timeline. I think it’s day-to-day, and for us to make sure that we’re continuing to be supportive of DB in her time away.”

Bonner has yet to play more than 27 minutes in a game this season, and she has taken four shots or fewer in five of her nine appearances. Bonner’s minutes average (21.3) is also the lowest since Bonner’s rookie season in 2009, when she was still coming off the Phoenix Mercury bench.

As The Athletic previously reported, the Mercury heavily courted Bonner this past offseason, and Bonner’s desire to potentially win immediately, among other factors, led her to the Indiana Fever. The Minnesota Lynx also looked at signing Bonner, and explored trading for Bonner’s fiancée Alyssa Thomas.

Thomas was later traded to the Mercury, where she is averaging 14.4 points, 8.9 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game.

The Fever (6-7) are 2-2 in their last four games and are set to play the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night.

While it’s possible that the Fever could trade Bonner, Bonner’s contract is unprotected, meaning the franchise could waive her and only have to pay her prorated salary. If Indiana were to waive Bonner, franchises around the league would have the opportunity to claim her off of waivers before she would hit unrestricted free agency. Only Washington and Connecticut have the cap space to absorb Bonner’s current contract, per the Her Hoop Stats salary database. If Bonner clears waivers, she could sign with a new team as a free agent; New York is the lone other team with cap space and an empty roster spot. Phoenix has the cap space to add Bonner, but would need to clear a roster spot.

If the Fever were to release Bonner, it’s possible that the team could then bring back guard Aari McDonald, who played a key role off Indiana’s bench earlier this season while both Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark were out with injury. McDonald averaged 11 points and 3.0 assists in her three appearances with Indiana. McDonald was waived on June 13 after Clark and Cunningham returned to play, and as a result of 10 days now passing since her release, the Fever can re-sign her if they choose.

(Photo: Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)