Overview
- On Monday, Aug. 24 the Mercury and DeWanna Bonner agreed to a mutual contract buyout after Phoenix was eliminated from playoff contention on Aug. 22, the team said.
- Bonner must spend 48 hours on the WNBA waiver wire and any claiming team must have her full remaining $500,000 salary available in cap space according to reporting and her agent’s statement that the buyout was 'time served.'
- Phoenix freed a roster spot and saved a small amount of money for the rest of the regular season while GM Nick U’Ren and coach Nate Tibbetts described the move as amicable and intended to give Bonner a chance to chase a title.
- Media coverage identifies realistic landing spots that balance need and cap room with the Atlanta Dream often cited as the best fit, Las Vegas attractive competitively but short on space, and New York, Minnesota and Dallas also mentioned.
- Bonner is a two-time WNBA champion and six-time All-Star who has scored more than 8,000 career points, and the league will watch the waiver period for where the veteran could play what may be her final postseason.