"Not scared": Alyssa Thomas' teammate Monique Akoa Makani downplays chemistry worries as Mercury consider DeWanna Bonner signing

On Wednesday, the Indiana Fever announced that they were waiving DeWanna Bonner, who had played just nine games after joining the team prior to the 2025 season. Now, there are reports circulating about her impending move to the Phoenix Mercury — a move that one Mercury player is apparently open to.

During a media availability shortly after the Bonner news broke, Phoenix's starting point guard Monique Akoa Makani made it clear that she wasn't worried about the team's chemistry being derailed by Bonner's midseason arrival.

"I feel like the coaching staff and every individual in here have made the effort every day to strengthen the team's chemistry," Makani told reporters in the Mercury's practice facility. "Whoever has to come in is going to fit anyways, so I'm not scared about that."

As presently constructed, the Mercury roster (led by Satou Sabally and Bonner's fiancee Alyssa Thomas) has gotten off to an impressive start, winning 11 of their first 15 games to place second in the Western Conference. On paper, any move to alter the team's rotations could risk disrupting the players' rhythm on and off the court.

Phoenix, though, is in a unique position to add a strong piece without sacrificing any of their current players. In the wake of Bonner's exit from Indiana, the Mercury (and all other WNBA teams, for that matter) have a 48-hour window to claim the 6-foot-4 forward off waivers.

Though Bonner ultimately didn't pan out with the Fever, she remains a valuable asset as the six-time WNBA All-Star brings championship experience and veteran leadership to any locker room that she joins.

Poetically, Bonner won her two titles with none other than the Mercury in 2009 and 2014. As such, Makani's confidence in Bonner's fit with the team appears to be well-justified.

"I feel the fit did not work out": DeWanna Bonner releases statement after being waived by Fever

It's worth noting, though, that Bonner herself pointed to lack of chemistry as a factor in her departure from Indiana.

In the Fever's press release regarding Bonner's exit, the two-time WNBA champion was quoted as saying that she wasn't a good fit with Indiana's roster.

"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's statement read.

Nevertheless, Bonner wished the Fever "great success" in their bid to win big with their "dynamic group of young players."

Edited by Simoun Victor Redoblado