DeWanna Bonner's Mental Health Revelation with Alyssa Thomas Resurfaces as Indiana Fever Future Hangs in the Balance

Two things were already trending on Twitter – DeWanna Bonner rubbing her Instagram clean of the Indiana Fever, and the Fever in return removing her from their banner wall. Fact or fiction? No one knows. But before one could even try to trace the digital footprints, a video of Alyssa Thomas started making rounds on the internet. A reporter could be seen asking Thomas whether Bonner considers Phoenix a “preferred landing spot”. However, AT just turned her head away, refusing to comment. Now, couple that with Front Office Sports’ Anna Costabile’s report, and well, the rumor mill began digging in every corner of the internet.

As per Costabile’s multiple league sources, “ DeWanna Bonner’s days with the Indiana Fever could be coming to an end “. And while there is not much known to the public, Bonner’s agent, Mike Cound’s, silence doesn’t help the critics’ case. Several insiders revealed to FOS that things never really clicked between Bonner and Indiana; the vibe was reportedly off from day one. Bonner, brought in with the hope that her championship experience would stabilize the Fever’s fresh-faced roster, was expected to step right into a starting role. And she did kick off the season like that, but could only log three games before being swapped out for Lexie Hull. After six stints coming off the bench, Bonner was suddenly sidelined, with the team citing “personal reasons.”

Many thought it could be because of her career lows. After all, she was averaging just 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 33.5% from the field. And statistically, Bonner has posted the worst on-off differential on the team. The Fever have a -10.2 net rating in the 192 minutes she’s played, but a +15.1 net rating in the 328 minutes when she hasn’t been on the court. And all of this comes after Indiana handed Bonner a near-max contract. So, given her lackluster play and time away, it’s no surprise things could have soured between Bonner and the Fever. But the only optimism people saw was in Stephanie White’s words, which kept suggesting otherwise.

Statements like “Give her the time she needs” and “to just make sure that we’re continuing to be supportive of DB,” really implied that DB was probably struggling with something far beyond our comprehension. However, now? Her latest comment? It really flipped. No mention of “ support” there. Ahead of Tuesday’s game, when White was asked to comment on Bonner’s return to Indiana, she said, “ I haven’t had a lot of conversations with her recently, really focused on the team we have right here and what we need to do to position ourselves to win “. Fair enough, but let’s be honest. No one expected that comment.

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And amid all such things happening that strongly suggest Bonner might not wish to return to Indiana, an old interview of DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas has gone viral on social media. And no doubt, at this point, Thomas might be the only one who can truly help Bonner manage the stress she’s dealing with, as she has admitted it herself. “She helps me with my anxiety, especially during the season. I’m a high-stress person—not just during the season but in general. I don’t like unknown things. I think she calms me down and reminds me that everything’s going to work out. And it always does,” Bonner once told Essence .

But it’s not one-sided, as Thomas has said the same. “I always say she’s my conscience. During basketball season, I’m pretty intense and I want to win. She always talks with me, makes me think further about things I’ve said or done that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise thought twice about,” Thomas shared.

Of course, as fans started connecting the dots, they also began coming up with conspiracy theories. One of them, by an NBA/WNBA content creater Mick, went viral big time. “ The Mercury were never able to afford DB on a max in the summer, Now she gets her max from Indy for 40% of the season AND she can play for Phoenix and barely loses a cent, ” Mick wrote on X.

Here’s the burning question, though…

Can DeWanna Bonner get traded from the Fever?

Amidst all the potential scenario, a trade is possible, mainly because Bonner signed a one-year, unprotected deal with Indiana back in February, worth $200,000. However, the Phoenix Mercury have around $88,103 in cap space, while the Atlanta Dream sits at just $23,939. So, it’s also the most unlikely option- because players making Bonner-level money are probably untouchable in trade talks. So, teams might need to bundle multiple contracts just to make the math work.

Now, while waiving her is another option, doing so won’t help the Fever much as well. Since Bonner’s deal isn’t protected, the Fever could choose to cut ties and would only owe her the portion of salary she’s earned so far. Once the WNBA hits its halfway mark, though, those unprotected deals become fully guaranteed. So, the clock is ticking. The main upside for Indiana in that case? Freeing up cap space.

If the Fever were to go that route, other teams would have 48 hours to claim her off waivers. If no one does, she’d hit the market as an unrestricted free agent. And with the WNBA veteran minimum set at $78,831, the Mercury could scoop up Bonner without needing to trim their roster, assuming she’s waived by the Fever and goes unclaimed.

But will she actually get waived? Honestly, we don’t think so, but in this league, anything can happen . Let’s see how it all plays out.