Indiana Fever Re-Sign Aari McDonald Amid Waiving DeWanna Bonner

The Indiana Fever are bringing beloved guard Aari McDonald back to the team after electing to waive DeWanna Bonner.

Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald (2) takes the ball to the basket Tuesday, June 3, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

News broke on June 24 that former Indiana Fever veteran wing DeWanna Bonner (who joined the team via free agency this past offseason) was looking to leave the franchise after not having played since June 10 because of "personal reasons".

The initial report (which came from Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports) conveyed that, "The fit in Indiana was 'off' from the beginning. Bonner—who was signed to be an anchor with championship experience for the team’s young core—was expected to be a starter."

And one day later, Chloe Peterson of IndyStar made an X post that wrote, "BREAKING: The Fever are waiving DeWanna Bonner, league sources told IndyStar, then re-signing Aari McDonald.

"Bonner requested a trade after feeling she couldn’t find a role on the team, sources said, but Indiana could not find a suitable trade option."

BREAKING: The Fever are waiving DeWanna Bonner, league sources told IndyStar, then re-signing Aari McDonald.

Bonner requested a trade after feeling she couldn’t find a role on the team, sources said, but Indiana could not find a suitable trade option.https://t.co/0ksjSoypg1

— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 25, 2025

While not being able to get anybody in return for Bonner via trade is certainly not ideal, Fever fans are going to be excited about the team re-signing guard Aari McDonald, who signed an emergency hardship exception contract with the team on on June 2 after three Fever guards (Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and Sydney Colson) all suffered injuries at similar times.

McDonald performed admirably with the Fever, averaging 11 points and 3 assists per game in three contests while also playing excellent defense and showing much-needed tenacity. However, once those three aforementioned players returned, Indiana had no choice but to release McDonald on June 13.

But now she's back with the team, presumably until the end of the season. It will be fascinating to see how the Fever roster responds to losing Bonner and bringing back McDonald.