Update on Fever vet means an Aari McDonald reunion could be in the works

The Indiana Fever may be due for another emergency hardship signing sooner rather than later, with Fever forward DeWanna Bonner still away from the team for an unknown period of time and as center Damiris Dantas is about to head out to play for Brazil in the AmericupW.

Fever reporter Chloe Peterson laid out the eligibility requirements for the team to be able to sign yet another emergency hardship player, as they'd be under 10 rostered players if Bonner doesn't return by the time Dantas leaves for the tournament. According to Peterson, they would qualify, but it would probably lead them to signing a front court player rather than a guard.

However, the team does have some depth on their bench at the frontcourt in the form of rookie Makayla Timpson and Brianna Turner. If they wanted to rely on Turner as the vet to step up in place of Bonner with Timpson backing her up, then Indiana could very well sign back Aari McDonald after her spectacular stint with the team in Caitlin Clark's absence.

Aari McDonald should be on Indiana's radar as potential hardship signing (again)

McDonald averaged 11 points, three assists, 1.3 rebounds, and two steals per game in three appearances with the Fever this season. McDonald was coming off the bench for Sydney Colson, who was starting in place of Clark while she nursed a quad injury. Her defensive intensity was what was most impressive in her short time with the team, and her departure stung for that reason.

She's currently a free agent, likely soon to be scooped up by another team impacted by numerous departures related to international cup games. But, the Fever are obviously now familiar territory to McDonald, and vice versa. While she wouldn't fill the need for Indiana in their front court if Bonner isn't able to return soon, she adds the bench defense necessary to push close Fever games in their favor.

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It's unfortunate that Bonner may miss a significant amount of time, though, and we can only hope that she's able to return whenever she's ready to do so. As for Dantas, some time playing overseas should allow her to get some meaningful reps in and to return to the Fever on some sort of roll.

In the meantime, it's about time for Indiana to try and loop McDonald back in. We never got to see her backup Clark, and it'd be fun to see her back in the fold with both herself and Clark healthy.