After the Mercury Buyout, DeWanna Bonner Signed $116,000 With the Dream
Atlanta announced Thursday. Prorated max for the rest of 2026 and the playoffs. 17th season. Next to Reese.
Photo: WNBA.com. Official headshot.
You already ran this in the group chat. Names go here. Saturday in Phoenix, Angel Reese had 31 and the Dream closed the Mercury 99-89. DeWanna Bonner had 12 on the other side. The building that ended her season just signed her.
After Phoenix bought her out, Atlanta signed Bonner to a prorated max of about $116,000 for the rest of 2026 and the playoffs. The Dream announced it Thursday. Next game is Friday against Portland.
Action: Phoenix Mercury / NBAE via Getty Images (Joe Boatman). May 24 at Gateway Center. Reese is #5 in the red.
Watch the celebration in that frame. Same floor. Same 5. Five days after that 99-89, she is walking into that locker room.
The Dream are 25-13, already in, still fourth. The starting five does not change: Canada, Gray, Hillmon, Howard, Reese. Bonner is the extra wing after Brionna Jones left a game Aug. 13 and did not come back. Atlanta's bench is at 17.2 points a night, second-fewest in the league. That is the job.
Seventeen seasons. Two titles. Six All-Star nods. The Athletic has her at 13.2 and 6.8 in the playoffs. She has missed the dance once. This will be her 16th. She is 39. Phoenix GM Nick U'Ren said they bought her out so she could chase a title in what could be her last postseason. She cleared waivers Wednesday. Atlanta waived Aaliyah Nye and Jaylyn Sherrod to open the chair.
Do not turn $116,000 into a small number. Hold the path. A buyout after a 99-89. A 17-year wing next to Reese. A Friday tip against Portland, then a World Cup pause. The money is the Google line. The room she just joined is the take.
Sources
- Atlanta Dream announcement via CBS Sports, Aug. 27, 2026: DeWanna Bonner signs with Dream after Mercury buyout — official Thursday signing; waived Nye and Sherrod; prorated max about $116,000; 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds; Friday vs. Portland Fire
- The Athletic, Aug. 26–27, 2026: DeWanna Bonner signing with Atlanta Dream for playoff run — team confirmation; ~$116,000 prorated max; 25-13, fourth; starting five stays; playoff career 13.2 / 6.8; 16th playoff appearance
- ESPN, Aug. 26–27, 2026: Bonner signing with Dream after Mercury buyout — prorated maximum about $116,000
- WNBA.com: DeWanna Bonner — official headshot
- Phoenix Mercury: Mercury at Dream, May 24, 2026 — official NBAE still, GettyImages-2277527339
Related Posts
Darius Acuff Jr. Ties the NBA Rookie Record With 9 Threes and Is the First Since Shaq With 150 Points in His First 6 Games
Darius Acuff Jr. made 9 of 14 threes and scored 38 at Memphis, and he is the first since Shaquille O'Neal with 150 points in his first 6 games.
68-63 in Game 7, 3 Thunder Starters Out and a Teenager's 9 Threes: The Basketball Week in Review, Oct. 26-Nov. 1
Gabby Williams scored 28 after halftime as the Valkyries won Game 7 68-63, Oklahoma City lost three starters, and two 19-year-olds hit the record book in Memphis.
71 Points Is the Valkyries' Finals High, So Game 7 Rides on Whether Atlanta Gets to 70
Golden State has scored between 64 and 71 in all six Finals games; Atlanta has won every game it reached 70 and lost every game it did not, by our count. Game 7 tips at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center.