The Toronto Tempo completed a trade with the Connecticut Sun on Friday, acquiring forward Aneesah Morrow in exchange for the rights to forward Maria Kliundikova and a 2028 second-round draft pick. The transaction represents the first trade completed before the 2026 WNBA trade deadline, which occurs at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Toronto’s front office executed the deal despite the franchise’s challenging inaugural season record of 1-9 in their last 10 games, leaving them five and a half games behind the eighth and final playoff spot. The team identified frontcourt depth and rebounding capability as key areas needing improvement. Morrow was selected by Connecticut with the No. 7 pick in the 2025 draft and has shown promise as a rebounder, tallying nine double-doubles through 20 games with the Sun this season. She has averaged 11.6 points and 8.6 rebounds while playing approximately 23 minutes per game this year, and recently demonstrated strong offensive performance with 21 points on 66.7% shooting against Chicago and 21 points including 4 of 7 from three-point range against Washington.
For the Tempo, the 23-year-old forward arrives as a complementary piece to guards Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes on a team that has dealt with frontcourt instability due to injuries affecting Isabelle Harrison, Nyara Sabally, and Temi Fagbenle. General Manager Monica Wright Rogers noted Morrow’s elite rebounding ability and emerging status among league frontcourt talents. The Sun, positioned 14th in the standings and preparing for a relocation to Houston following this season, see limited immediate benefit from the deal as Kliundikova is not playing in the WNBA this year, having opted to remain in Russia. The 6-foot-4 forward has limited WNBA experience with three seasons across three franchises since 2018.
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