The Fever released six-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner to kick off their flurry of moves, a maneuver that hit everyone’s radar after reporting popped up on Tuesday that Bonner and Indiana may be headed for a split. Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star detailed that Bonner never felt like the Fever was a good fit after signing in February. She requested a trade but was ultimately waived.
“I want to sincerely thank the Indiana Fever for the opportunity to be part of the Fever franchise. Despite our shared goals and excitement heading into the season, I felt the fit did not work out and I appreciate the organization’s willingness to grant my request to move on, particularly at this point in my career,” Bonner said in a team-issued statement. “I wish the Fever great success as they continue to build around this dynamic group of young players.”
The veteran forward had not played for the Fever since June 10, citing personal reasons. Her absence had reached five games by the time of the waiver. Indiana continually described Bonner as day-to-day, but now her departure is permanent.
Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports reported that the fit for Bonner in Indiana was off from the beginning and added in a later report that Bonner expected to start for the Fever. After just three games this season, Bonner was removed from the starting lineup as Lexie Hull moved into the opening five.
Fever head coach Stephanie White was asked about Bonner’s absence before the Fever battled the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. “Haven’t had a lot of conversations recently. Really been focused on the group we have right here and what we need to do to position ourselves to win,” the head coach said.
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Bonner was waived the next day. In-season trades are challenging in the WNBA, and the Fever couldn’t find one. General manager Amber Cox detailed that trades were explored, but with it being so early in the season, no fair trade materialized. Instead, they get cap flexibility and move on from a situation that was hurting both sides.
“DeWanna is a future hall of famer… as we got into the season, she just expressed that she didn’t feel like it was a good fit for her,” Cox explained. “We just couldn’t get it to a place where it felt good for her.”
Bonner averaged 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for Indiana. She will be missed. But the Fever already made another signing and may be able to soon make another after moving on from Bonner and her large contract.
Aari McDonald re-joins the Indiana Fever
In the same announcement in which the Fever shared the news of Bonner’s departure, the team also revealed that they have brought back guard Aari McDonald. Peterson reported that it’s a veteran’s minimum deal.
McDonald originally signed with the Fever on a hardship contract earlier this season, and she provided value right away. The five-year WNBA veteran averaged 11 points and three assists per game in three outings for Indiana and fit well in the team’s new style. Her defense was impressive, too.
“The energy. Obviously, what she brings on the defensive end,” Cox said of what the team likes about McDonald. “You have a player who expresses the desire to be here… [she] really wanted to be back here. So it felt like a really good fit for her, for us as well. We’re excited to get her back into the mix.”
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But Indiana had to let McDonald go, by rule, once the Fever got healthy and her hardship deal ended. They haven’t had the necessary space to bring her back since. But after moving on from Bonner, they do now. McDonald is back and will provide a spark off the bench as a high-energy guard.
“I’m so excited to rejoin the Fever. Although my time with the team was brief, it immediately felt like the place to be,” McDonald said in a statement. “I’m grateful for the warm welcome from the coaches, teammates, and fans—and most of all, I thank God for the incredible journey I’m on.”
Damiris Dantas departs for AmeriCup play
Reserve Indiana Fever forward/center Damiris Dantas will miss the team’s next five games, at least, as she departs the team to suit up for the Brazilian national team in AmeriCup play across the next few weeks.
Dantas, who has been rounding into form of late, is averaging 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season. It’s her second season with the franchise, and she gives the team productive play on both ends thanks to her ability to space the floor.
Dantas was originally scheduled to miss only four games at minimum, but with the Fever qualifying for the Commissioner’s Cup title game on July 1, she will now miss five-plus. The earliest Dantas could return is a July 9 home game against the Golden State Valkyries.
Dantas had 10 points and five rebounds in a win over the Storm on Tuesday. “What [Dantas] brings to our team is such a different viewpoint than (starting center) [Aliyah Boston]. Her ability to stretch the floor, use her in pick and pop,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said of Dantas this week. “To defend multiple looks. She’s experienced. She can play inside and outside. We’re going to miss using her as a complement to [Boston].”
With Dantas away and Bonner gone, the Fever are light in the frontcourt. Bonner’s contract was unprotected, though, so Indiana opened up some cap room by moving on. That should allow the team to sign some needed depth on the inside if they are so inclined.
Caitlin Clark dealing with groin injury after Fever’s best win of season
The Indiana Fever beat the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, and it may have been their most impressive victory of the 2025 campaign. But it was clear during the win that star guard Caitlin Clark wasn’t 100% healthy.
Late in the game, the star guard was slow going down, and getting up, during a loose ball exchange while being hounded by a defender. It didn’t appear she got hurt during that play, but the speed of everything was off. She finished the outing with six points on 3-for-13 shooting, nine assists, and eight turnovers. It was a poor statistical outing.
On Thursday, the Fever announced that Clark would miss their next game with a groin injury. White shared that the team found out about the injury Wednesday night and that the second-year guard is day-to-day going forward, pending her response to treatment.
“She’s tough, and she’s a quick healer,” White added. She’s letting the training staff handle the specifics and didn’t provide clarity on if Clark has a strain or not — and the young guard did not report pain while playing on the Fever’s recent road trip.
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Clark previously missed time this season with a quad injury. With McDonald back in the fold, she and Sydney Colson will hold down the Indiana Fever point guard rotation until Clark returns. The team starts a back-to-back tonight, and there’s travel in between the games.
While Clark struggled, the win over Seattle was a big one for Indiana. They beat the New York Liberty, a better team than the Storm, earlier this season. But the Fever’s win on Tuesday may have been their best performance of the campaign.
Even with Clark struggling, the Fever only made eight threes as a team. But they still scored 94 points and were sharp in basically every other area of the game. Their paint pressure was strong, their ball movement crisp, and after a slow start defensively, they were able to get stops for much of the last three quarters — particularly in the second and third periods.
Between the rebounding, defense, ball movement, and resiliency, it may have been Indiana’s best performance this season. They didn’t need to lean as much on hot shooting like they did against New York.
They rolled to a big road win. Kelsey Mitchell (26 points on 8-for-14 shooting) and Boston (career-high 31 points on 13-for-18 shooting) were both spectacular to get it done. Games like that make many wonder just how strong the Fever can be when Clark is back to 100%, too.
Fever headlining fan All-Star votes
The WNBA announced the first round of fan voting results for the 2025 WNBA All-Star game in Indianapolis on June 20, and the Indiana Fever are all over the top 10.
Clark ranked first with nearly 516,000 votes. Boston sits in third with almost 447 thousand. Mitchell finished seventh and Lexie Hull ninth. Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, and Dantas also all ranked in the top 30 of the first round of fan voting. It’s plausible the Fever have multiple All-Stars, and the game will be played in their city this season.
According to the league, WNBA players and media will join fans in selecting the All-Star starters. Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while all current players and a media panel will account for 25% each. Players and media panelists will be able to complete one ballot, featuring four guards and six frontcourt players. All-Star reserves will be selected by coaches.
