The Toronto Tempo were outscored 54-31 in the second half as they fell to the Minnesota Lynx 104-72 after a strong 16-point performance from Napheesa Collier. While the Tempo’s second game at Scotiabank Arena (where the Raptors play) was rocking, Toronto’s efforts in the second half were so-so. This game was a prime example of the WNBA’s tiers and why the Tempo’s deadline approach appears to be unbelievably flawed.
On Friday, the Tempo made a splash by acquiring Aneesah Morrow from the Connecticut Sun for a 2028 second-round draft pick and the rights to Maria Kliundikova. In all honesty, this is a great move as Morrow is an elite post player who helps address this team's biggest flaw: rebounding. This season she's averaging 11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and will be a major boost to the frontcourt. However, being an aggressive buyer at the trade deadline can’t become a trend.
The Morrow trade is the type of move I can get behind because she’s young, the No. 7 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, and fits the team’s timeline. The concern is that Toronto can’t continue to sacrifice future assets in pursuit of a playoff push, especially considering their 10-18 record.
Given everything we’ve seen since the Tempo’s above .500 start, there is zero chance this team should be buying. In fact, it should be quite the opposite, as Monica Wright and the front office should be looking to sell and recoup assets.
The Tempo are chasing the wrong goal at the deadline
Now in no world am I suggesting the Tempo should enter Sunday’s trade deadline with players like Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey on the trade block.
But the supporting cast, and especially players who don’t project to have many years ahead of them like Julie Allemand, Isabelle Harrison, and Temi Fagbenle, Toronto should be looking to sell. When you’re in the Tempo’s position, it’s hard to convince a first-year fanbase that invested so much money and time into this season already to sell after one down season. However, in the long term, fans will be grateful, as selling off aging players to build up the ammo and foundation to become a contender will ultimately create a cleaner path to an eventual title.
The Tempo would have an incredibly steep hill to climb if their goal is to make that playoff push in the second half, and nothing is guaranteed. The front office could make whatever moves they want to buy and still see no change or be outmatched talent-wise nightly.
So why risk the chance to draft a can’t-miss prospect like JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, or Madison Booker? It doesn’t make sense.
The foundation has been laid in year one by Sandy Brondello and the roster's foundational pieces. They are going to be a tough, score-first, aggressive team that spaces the floor. And Mabrey, Sykes, KiKi Rice, Nayra Sabally, Laura Juskaite, and now Morrow should all play roles in that, but those aging veterans and late bloomers should be floated onto the trade market.
Not just in the WNBA but all of pro sports, the ability to accumulate assets and stack assets is the name of the game. Whether it’s using those picks immediately or packaging them later for a star, they offer more value in the long- and short-term than players nearing or already in their 30s.
That’s what the entire Tempo front office needs to focus on, and Thursday's loss to Minnesota exemplified that. There are tiers in the WNBA, and the Tempo are in the worst one: the happy medium, or as kids call it, mid. Great teams go to the bottom and work their way up, and Toronto can start making that journey at the 2026 trade deadline
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