The Toronto Tempo’s WNBA debut doesn’t just highlight the league’s rapid growth and booming popularity. It also marks the W’s first expansion outside the U.S. The Tempo won’t just shape professional women’s basketball in Toronto but will attract fans from all over the country. Some of those fans would undoubtedly love to cheer for local talent.
The 2025 WNBA season featured four Canadian players: Bridget Carleton, Kia Nurse, Laeticia Amihere, and Aaliyah Edwards. Two of them will be available in free agency this offseason. Carleton and Nurse, the most proven players in this group, will enter unrestricted free agency. Amihere, meanwhile, will be a reserved free agent, meaning that the Golden State Valkyries hold exclusive negotiating rights. Aaliyah Edwards is still under contract through the 2026 season.
Carleton and Nurse may not be stars, but they are experienced role players, who could immediately deliver on an expansion team, especially one with a veteran coach like Sandy Brondello. Attracting impactful players in free agency can be difficult for expansion teams, but the idea of playing for the first Canadian WNBA franchise may be interesting enough for at least one of Carleton and Nurse to take the risk.
Bridget Carleton has spent most of her career with the Minnesota Lynx
In 2019, Bridget Carleton was drafted in the second round by the Connecticut Sun. She played only four games before the team released her. After that, she found her way to the Lynx, signing a seven-day contract. Carleton has stayed with the Lynx ever since and has grown into a key rotational player. She was a starter in the last two seasons and a big part of the Lynx’s championship push.
In 2023, the Lynx played a preseason game in Toronto, marking the first time a WNBA game was played in Canada. Carleton became the first Canadian to play a WNBA game in Canada. Joining the Tempo would allow her to also play for the first Canadian WNBA franchise.
Kia Nurse may want to leave Chicago
Bringing in Kia Nurse was a part of the Sky’s plan to build a competitive roster around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. That plan failed spectacularly, as the Sky finished at the bottom of the league and have no clear direction going forward.
Nurse, who was an All-Star in 2019, might not want to re-sign with Chicago if more promising and exciting opportunities present themselves. Playing in Canada as one of the Tempo’s veteran leaders could be just that. After all, Nurse went to high school in Hamilton, Ontario, just under an hour away from Toronto.
Don’t forget about the expansion draft
Since no new CBA has been signed yetw, the conditions for the Tempo’s expansion draft are still very unclear. Carleton, Nurse, and Amihere are players who may be left unprotected in the expansion draft, though.
Carleton is the Lynx starter who would be easiest to replace if the front office would rather hold on to reserves like DiJonai Carrington and Jessica Shepard or protect young players Dorka Juhasz and Anastasiia Kosu. No one really knows what the Sky will do this offseason, so Nurse may also be available in the expansion draft. Amihere showed a lot of promise with the Valkyries, but their priorities may lie elsewhere. If they want to protect Kayla Thornton, Veronica Burton, Carla Leite, Iliana Rupert, and Janelle Salaün as well as maybe veterans Cecilia Zandalasini and Temi Fagbenle, who played key roles for the team, or youngster Kate Martin they will quickly run out of spots for protected players.
The only player who is very unlikely to be available in an expansion draft is Aaliyah Edwards. She is only about to enter her third season, and the Sun went out of their way to trade for her before the deadline.