DeWanna Bonner addition makes Dream a legitimate WNBA title contender originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
DeWanna Bonner on Wednesday agreed to join the Atlanta Dream for the remainder of the 2026 season.
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That choice makes the Dream a legitimate threat to claim their first WNBA championship in October.
Bonner, a six-time WNBA All-Star who leads all active players in points scored, is the exact profile Atlanta has been missing as it seeks to get over the hump and win a first-ever title since it entered the league in 2008.
MORE: DeWanna Bonner’s next team: Best fits for former Mercury star amid buyout
Bonner, 39, adds supplemental scoring and rebounding to Atlanta’s established All-Star core of Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Angel Reese. The 17-year veteran averaged 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds with the Phoenix Mercury before she agreed to a contract buyout earlier this week.
In addition, her rich playoff experience will be invaluable for head coach Karl Smesko to lean on over the next several weeks. Bonner becomes the Dream’s oldest player, and the only one with a championship on her resume: she won two titles in Phoenix, and she has played in the WNBA Finals four times in all.
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The move comes with little risk to the Dream. Bonner fits neatly within Atlanta’s available cap space, and the player herself has hinted that this upcoming playoff run could represent her final batch of WNBA games.
After a lull in July, the Dream has played some of the league’s best basketball in August. Atlanta has won four in a row and 12 out of its past 15 games entering Friday night’s clash with the Portland Fire. Only time will tell if the Dream can maintain that form after a two-and-a-half week break in between games to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup next month.
But adding Bonner gives Atlanta a great chance to keep the momentum going — potentially, all the way to a maiden championship.
