DeWanna Bonner Signs With Atlanta Dream

DeWanna Bonner is signing with the Atlanta Dream after a contract buyout from the Phoenix Mercury, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The deal for the rest of 2026 is the prorated maximum, about $116,000, and she was expected to sign Thursday. Atlanta entered Wednesday fourth in the WNBA at 25-13. The Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty were also in the mix.

Bonner, 39, is a two-time champion, six-time All-Star, and three-time Sixth Woman of the Year. She ranks third in league history in career points and fifth in rebounds. She sought the buyout after Phoenix was eliminated from playoff contention, cleared waivers Wednesday evening, and chose a Dream team that is short on depth and still hunting a franchise-first title.

What is DeWanna Bonner's Dream contract?

Remainder of 2026, prorated max, about $116,000. ESPN reported the Dream had wanted her for multiple years. This is a rental with a ring attached. She is expected to come off the bench. Atlanta was upset in the first round last year by Indiana. Angel Reese headlines the frontcourt. A 6-foot-4 forward who can space and defend is the exact veteran add a four-seed makes in late August.

Bonner averaged 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 steals this season and started 26 of 37 games for Phoenix, the club that drafted her in 2009. She also spent five seasons in Connecticut and played nine games in Indiana last year before returning to the Mercury. The resume is not the question. The question is how many minutes a 39-year-old gets on a team that already has a postseason ticket.

Why did DeWanna Bonner leave the Mercury?

Phoenix is out. She is not. GM Nick U'Ren said the club worked out a buyout "that gives her the opportunity to chase a title in what could be her final postseason." Bonner said she does not know what the future holds and thanked Mercury fans. Coach Nate Tibbetts said it happened on great terms. That is the clean version. The basketball version is simpler: a playoff team needed a veteran, and a veteran needed a playoff team.

The standings around Atlanta are tight. Golden State just routed Connecticut with Veronica Burton running the show, and Reese keeps stacking rebound records in the same conference conversation. Bonner is not arriving to take the franchise. She is arriving so Atlanta can survive a first-round series that ended them a year ago.

Search queries are already written: DeWanna Bonner Dream, Bonner contract, Mercury buyout. A Hall of Fame-track forward on a $116,000 playoff flier is late-August WNBA in one sentence.

DeWanna Bonner Dream FAQ

Did DeWanna Bonner sign with the Dream? Yes. ESPN reported she is signing after clearing waivers, with paperwork expected Thursday.

How much is the Bonner contract? About $116,000, the prorated maximum for the rest of 2026.

Why did Phoenix let Bonner go? The Mercury were eliminated. A buyout lets her chase a title in what could be her last postseason.