DeWanna Bonner signed with the Atlanta Dream following a contract buyout from the Phoenix Mercury, the team announced Tuesday. The four-time WNBA All-Star joins Atlanta's playoff push alongside rookie forward Angel Reese, adding 15 years of postseason experience to a roster that entered the week holding the league's eighth seed.
Bonner appeared in 19 games for Phoenix this season, averaging 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds before the mutual separation. The Mercury sit four games below .500 and outside playoff position, making the buyout a clean exit for both sides. Bonner's Atlanta contract runs through the remainder of the 2024 season with a team option for 2025, according to a person familiar with the terms. Financial details were not disclosed, though league sources peg the value near veteran minimum for the balance of the year.
The signing addresses Atlanta's thinnest position group. The Dream lost starting wing Cheyenne Parker to a knee injury in late June and have leaned on 37-year-old Tiffany Hayes for heavy minutes since. Bonner gives head coach Tanisha Wright a third perimeter option who can guard multiple positions and space the floor at 34.2% career from three-point range. More importantly, she's played 42 playoff games across stints with Phoenix and Connecticut, including three WNBA Finals appearances. Atlanta has two players on the active roster with any postseason experience.
The move also clarifies the Dream's timeline. Reese, the seventh overall pick in April's draft, is averaging a double-double and leading all rookies in rebounding, but Atlanta's veteran core was assembled for the 2023 rebuild, not this year's surprise competitiveness. Bonner's one-year commitment suggests management views 2024 as a developmental playoff berth rather than a championship window. The team option for next season preserves flexibility as the Dream evaluate whether to extend core pieces or reset again before the 2026 collective bargaining agreement negotiations reshape salary economics.
Watch for rotation changes when Atlanta hosts Indiana on Friday. Wright typically plays an eight-player rotation; Bonner's arrival likely reduces Hayes's minutes or pushes rookie guard Aerial Powers further down the depth chart. Also monitor Dream ownership's posture on facility upgrades. Gateway Center Arena remains the league's oldest venue without dedicated practice space, a gap Bonner mentioned in her 2022 free agency when she re-signed with Connecticut instead of considering Atlanta. The Dream's lease runs through 2027 with no announced renovation plans.
The Dream enter Thursday's game against Dallas with 17 games remaining and a half-game lead on Chicago for the final playoff spot.