The Toronto Tempo\u2019s WNBA debut doesn\u2019t just highlight the league\u2019s rapid growth and booming popularity. It also marks the W\u2019s first expansion outside the U.S. The Tempo won\u2019t just shape professional women\u2019s basketball in Toronto but will attract fans from all over the country. Some of those fans would undoubtedly love to cheer for local talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bridget Carleton has spent most of her career with the Minnesota Lynx<\/p>\n
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\u2019s championship push.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kia Nurse may want to leave Chicago<\/p>\n
Bringing in Kia Nurse was a part of the Sky\u2019s plan to build a competitive roster around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. That plan failed spectacularly<\/a>, as the Sky finished at the bottom of the league and have no clear direction going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019s veteran leaders could be just that. After all, Nurse went to high school in Hamilton, Ontario, just under an hour away from Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget about the expansion draft<\/p>\n