The Toronto Tempo have a very strong guard rotation. Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey both played like All-Stars when healthy, and Kiki Rice finished the season with All-Rookie honors. Moreover, Julie Allemand is a great table-setter and floor general when healthy.
Health was the Tempo’s biggest problem in their debut season. Lack of quality frontcourt play was another one. On paper, the trio of Temi Fagbenle, Nyara Sabally, and Isabelle Harrison looks solid. Harrison was pretty good when healthy, and Sabally also had her moments, but Fagbenle did not live up to her million-dollar contract. It was one of the worst deals handed out in a hectic offseason.
Fagbenle and Harrison are unrestricted free agents, and Sabally is a restricted free agent. Keeping Harrison and Sabally around for the right price is justifiable. However, the Tempo should really be focused on getting a star big to pair with their guard trio of Mabrey, Sykes, and Rice. They traded for Aneesah Morrow during the season, but if they want to make the playoffs next year, they will need a proven, veteran star.
Luckily for the Tempo, Angel Reese’s meteoric rise in Atlanta has made Brionna Jones rather obsolete.
The Tempo should try to trade for Bri Jones
Jones missed all but nine games for the Dream this season, forcing Angel Reese to play out of position with a rookie center who only played two seasons of college basketball as her backup. It has worked out phenomenally. The frontcourt rotation of Reese, Naz Hillmon, DeWanna Bonner, and Madina Okot got the Dream all the way to the finals.
Reese and Hillmon are rather undersized compared to other starting frontcourts in the W, but they are physical, relentless, and versatile defenders. The small-ball lineup has allowed the Dream to be a switchable defensive terror and score quickly in transition off the many turnovers they force. Plus, Reese rebounds better than anyone, even bigger players, and has come a long way as a scorer this season.
That success poses one big question: Where would Jones fit in next season?
Moreover, there are some financial concerns. The Dream can have three million-dollar players plus Hillmon and Jordin Canada next to the newly-crowned Defensive Player of the Year because Reese is on a cheap rookie contract. That will change after the 2027 season. Reese earned herself a nice rookie extension, especially if she makes All-WNBA this year and becomes eligible for an EPIC extension.
So, trading Jones and her max salary would open up some much-needed cap space. The Tempo could fit Jones’s contract in next to Mabrey and Sykes. It is, after all, about as much as they were paying Fagbenle this season. The difference is that Jones is a four-time All-Star and an instant bucket in the paint.
Playing her next to Mabrey, Sykes, and Rice could put the Tempo in playoff contention—if they are willing to part ways with some first-round picks.
The Tempo only have six players under contract for next season. Four of those are off the table, so the only player they could offer the Dream would be Julie Allemand, who would be a more proven backup to Canada than Te-Hina Paopao. Other than that, the Tempo could reach new deals with Maria Conde, Laura Juskaite, and Kia Nurse and offer one of them alongside draft picks. However, especially the first two would be valuable players to have on the wing next season.
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