"Aari McDonald can officially be signed back to Fever" - Indiana fans push for signing 5-foot-6 guard with Dewanna Bonner & Damiris Dantas sidelined

Indiana Fever fans may be rallying behind Caitlin Clark, but another player who stole their hearts during a brief stint was Aari McDonald, who appeared in just three games under a hardship contract while Clark and Sophie Cunningham were sidelined.

In that short stretch, McDonald impressed with averages of 11.0 points and 3.0 assists per game. But her departure broke fans’ hearts, as the Fever had to adhere to the WNBA’s 10-player roster minimum and hardship exception rules.

Now, with DeWanna Bonner unavailable due to personal reasons and Damiris Dantas on national team duty for Brazil, fans have been pushing for McDonald’s return.

“In 2 days Aari McDonald can officially be signed back to the FEVER if they release someone, that someone I have the feeling is DB,” one fan said.

Bonner, who has struggled this season with the worst scoring numbers of her career and only three starts in nine games, has not lived up to her All-Star form from recent years. Still, cutting her loose wouldn’t come cheap — she’s on a $200,000 contract, and waiving her would have serious salary cap implications.

Here’s what other fans have been saying in support of bringing McDonald back.

But not everyone is as eager. Once Dantas officially leaves and Bonner remains inactive, the Fever would be down to nine players and short at forward. In that case, a hardship signing would more likely be a forward, not a 5-foot-6 guard like McDonald.

Fever coach Stephanie White praises Aari McDonald after release

Following Aari McDonald's release at the end of her hardship contract, Fever head coach Stephanie White praised her contributions and said she’s confident McDonald will land somewhere else in the league.

"She's gonna find a spot (on a roster)," White said (per Indy Star). "I don't think that's a debate right now. She's been the ultimate pro. She came in ready to go. She had watched such a large amount of film just on her flight that you could tell already her high IQ. “She's a dog and we're going to miss her certainly. What she brought to the table for us and being able to come in at the point guard position and just really impact us right away."

Looking ahead, the Fever visit the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, with Bonner’s potential return in question for Thursday’s matchup against the LA Sparks. After that, Clark’s Fever square off against Paige Bueckers’ Dallas Wings before heading to the Commissioner’s Cup Final against the Minnesota Lynx.

Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro