Fever could bring in 2 fan favorites to replace DeWanna Bonner

DeWanna Bonner reportedly wants out of the Fever, Front Office Sports' Annia Costabile reported Tuesday. And while that reality is disappointing for fans who have enjoyed seeing Bonner play this season, it's also just part of the game — the 2-time WNBA Champion deserves to play where she wants to play. If the rumors are true, Bonner's departure will be a blow to Indiana — but will also open up the possibility to bring back fan favorite Aari McDonald as well as Valkyries standout Laeticia Amihere.

Bonner's currently salary is $200,000 (unprotected), which makes her one of the highest-paid athletes on the team. If the Fever can find a trade for her, they'll get the entire $200,000 back, which would be ideal for the team. If the Fever opt to waive her, the team will get around $130,000 back — which is potentially enough to sign two players on rookie contracts, two vets who have played two or fewer years in the league, or one vet with more than three years of experience and another with two or less.

Let's look at... all of it:

DeWanna Bonner: trade vs. waive

The ideal scenario for Bonner and the Fever alike is that the vet is traded to another team who can absorb her $200,000 salary. That way Bonner will still make her money and the Fever will get their money back, and to be honest, $200k is a lot in WNBA terms. The snag here is that while there are plenty of teams who could benefit from Bonner's experience and leadership, there aren't plenty of teams with $200,000 (or even close) lying around, and it's not immediately clear what cuts could be made to make more room for Bonner in the first place.

Waiving Bonner would be beneficial for the Fever in terms of recouping a loss, but might mean Bonner would sit out the rest of the 2025 season.

Could the Indiana Fever bring Aari McDonald back?

If the rumors are indeed true, the Fever can absolutely bring back Aari McDonald, who filled in for the team while Caitlin Clark was injured. And while there are a lot of reasons why it makes sense to have McDonald return, it should be noted that she and Bonner aren't remotely the same player. Outside of sheer experience in the WNBA, McDonald is a 5'6" guard and Bonner is a 6'4" small forward — they don't play the same role, and you can't just sub one player for another because she did well.

Additionally, McDonald was on the court to sub in for Clark, who is more than back, and Colson, who is still very much on the team.

Who could replace DeWanna Bonner?

The Fever might end up exploring hardship options yet again, especially after Damiris Dantas departs for AmeriCup this month. While Brianna Turner will likely step in to fill in for Dantas, the team willl need a long-term solution to fill the spot that could be vacated by Bonner (and those are not easy shoes to fill).

The Fever could potentially bring in Laeticia Amihere, who is more than proving herself with the Valkyries at the moment. Golden State is likely to cut Amihere once several players return from EuroBasket, so the timing could work out. She's not as experienced as Bonner but has the size and has put in preseason and regular seaon performances that are worth paying attention to.