The Indiana Fever is officially parting ways with DeWanna Bonner, Indy Star reporter Chloe Peterson announced Wednesday. Bonner played nine games for the team before she missed a match due to "personal reasons" — and just never came back. On Tuesday, WNBA reporter Annie Costabile reported Bonner has "no interest" in returning to play for Indiana, prompting speculation about where she could up. And while Costabile said Bonner's preferred teams are Phoenix or Atlanta, there's another possibility out there: New York.
We know, we know: a player of Bonner's caliber exiting Indiana for New York would be beyond unfair. The Liberty is incredibly stacked, arguably playing the team's strongest roster in years, and Bonner would only make the team greater. The Liberty is also contending with the loss of Jonquel Jones, who will be out for at least 4-6 weeks with an injury, which means... they need a big.
Let's go ahead and get it out of the way: yes, the idea of Bonner to the Liberty is, frankly, incensing. Just how impressive can one team get?! But it might also not even be on the table: the Liberty hasn't said anything, Bonner hasn't said anything, and Costabile told us she wants to go to Phoenix or Atlanta, anyway, which are two very decidedly not-New York cities.
But... what if?
How much cap space does the Liberty have?
There are four teams in the league that could comfortably swing Bonner, at least in terms of a) available cap space, and b) potential trades. According to Spotrac, the Mystics lead the pack with a massive $349,308 available; they are followed by the Valkyries with $203,722 available, the Sun with $187,180, and the Liberty with $119,394.
Bonner joined the Fever during free agency on a one-year, $200,000 contract. The Mercury and the Dream have $88,103 and $23,939 available, respectively, so a far cry from what Bonner currently commands (without trading players current on their rosters).
The Liberty is down a player with Jones' absence, but would still need to come up with the remaining $80k or so to lure Bonner (or Bonner would need to take a pay cut, something she might be amenable to now that she's officially without a home in the WNBA). If New York can make it work (and if Bonner is open to the option), regretfully, adding Bonner to the roster could all but cement the team's championship repeat aspirations.
PS: you know who coached the Mercury in 2014, the year Bonner won a championship with the team? Sandy New-York-Liberty Brondello.