It's not often that a late-season roster change happens in the WNBA, and when it does, it usually doesn't happen t DeWanna Bonner's hop from the Phoenix Mercury to the Atlanta Dream did this season. Bonner announced that she and the Mercury had reached a contract buyout deal earlier this week, and she signed a $116,000 contract with the Dream on Wednesday.
Bonner has been open about the reality that she's approaching the end of her professional career. She's also been strategic about where she has played in recent years; she started out the 2025 season in Indianapolis, which isn't too far from her offseason home base. She went back to the Mercury because her partner, Alyssa Thomas, was playing for the team, and because she has her own history there.
But fans might recall that when Bonner was leaving Indiana, the Dream was also one of the teams she identified as a potential home. Atlanta is also close to her home base, and it makes sense that she'd want to be out there if at all possible. This week, it all fell into place quickly.
Now Bonner has a shot at adding another championship to what has already been a long and successful career. ESPN reported that the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces — both teams that are intent on pursuing a championship this season — were interested, but in the end, Atlanta was the team that worked out.
The Dream are on their own mission this season, something the team made abundantly clear when they signed Angel Reese. They were eliminated from the playoffs last season in the first round, and have been focused on making it as far as they can this year. With Bonner on the team, the Dream have added more depth and experience — two factors that can make a huge difference when it comes to winning it all in basketball.
This season will also mark the Dream's fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs, something that is a big deal no matter how the playoffs actually end up. But the team is hungry to prove themselves in a larger way, and head coach Karl Smesko would likely shut down a lot of detractors if he coaches the team past the first round. Adding Bonner at this point in the season is likely going to end up being seen as a powerful masterstroke by a team who knows what they want, and by a veteran who absolutely knows how to get them there.
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