The Connecticut Solar and Toronto Tempo tipped off the ultimate run to the WNBA commerce deadline with a swap headlined by Aneesah Morrow.
The solar has set on Aneesah Morrow’s WNBA profession in Connecticut.
With the league’s annual commerce deadline looming this weekend, the Connecticut Solar and Toronto Tempo introduced a deal that might ship the sophomore Morrow up north in alternate for Maria Kliundikova and a second-round choose in 2028. Toronto additionally waived Tima Pouye in a corresponding transfer.
„We’re thrilled to welcome Aneesah to our group,“ Tempo normal supervisor Monica Wright declared in a press release. „She’s a relentless competitor who impacts the sport in so some ways, notably together with her skill to rebound at a excessive degree. We imagine she’s one of many rising frontcourt skills on this league, and we’re excited to see her play in a Tempo uniform.“
Up The Tempo
The maiden voyage of the Tempo (10-18) has seen its share of highlights, specifically by the taking pictures antics of Marina Mabrey. A rash of accidents, nevertheless, has derailed their playoff hopes: a 32-point loss to Minnesota on Thursday positioned it 5 1/2 video games out of a playoff spot and it has dropped all however considered one of its previous 10 as it really works with out Mabrey’s accomplice in scoring Brittney Sykes.
The damage bug has been notably merciless to the Tempo’s submit sport: Isabelle Harrison and Nyara Sabally have missed vital time and the rebounding has suffered in flip. Toronto is letting up probably the most offensive rebounds within the WNBA coming into Friday play they usually’re thirteenth of 15 groups on the general board ledgers. The Tempo additionally permits probably the most second-chance factors within the W at just below 15 a sport.
Morrow ought to assist stem the bleeding as she continues to construct on a breakout freshman marketing campaign: she’s presently tied for seventh in rebounds per sport with Nneka Ogwumike of Los Angeles and led the league in defensive rebound proportion final 12 months. The seventh total choose of the 2025 draft can be up almost 4 full factors per sport in comparison with final 12 months (11.6) on simply over 42% from the sphere.
Morrow has completed all that and extra regardless of considerations about her measurement, ones she overcame to function the NCAA’s main rebounder twice at DePaul and LSU. She’s the sixth participant in NCAA historical past to earn the title two occasions and the primary to do it at two completely different faculties.
“She’s undersized, however she doesn’t let that decide her sport or decide what she’s able to,” now-former Solar teamma Aaliyah Edwards stated of Morrow again in Might, per Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant. “I like that for her, as a result of she simply brings that dedication, that zeal, that drive, simply to be relentless with all the pieces she does, and that’s what we’d like.”
Nonetheless working by her rookie contract, Morrow is signed by a minimum of subsequent season whereas a participant possibility awaits in 2028.
Aneesah Morrow has been traded to the Tempo 🤯 pic.twitter.com/dZyTn4jgHY
— Actual App (@realapp) July 31, 2026
CT You Later
Morrow was seen as one of the fascinating belongings on the ultimate roster of the Solar (7-22), which is working by its farewell tour of Uncasville earlier than transferring south to resurrect the Houston Comets model. Connecticut is in prime promoting territory because the penultimate crew on the present WNBA leaderboard,
Buying and selling Morrow was a transfer that prepped for the Comets‘ future: Kliundikova is just not anticipated to look on this WNBA season and has spent of the 12 months stationed with Ekaterinburg in her native Russia. Kliundikova averaged 4.4 factors and three.0 rebounds in 34 appearances (1 begin) with final 12 months’s Minnesota Lynx earlier than the Tempo took her within the joint growth draft.
The commerce deadline is ready for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET and the Solar could be completed but: eyes will doubtless linger on free agent-to-be Kennedy Burke whereas different younger veterans like Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa may additionally garner curiosity because the countdown to transactional extinction continues.
Each groups will likely be on the ground shortly after the deadline’s passing on Sunday: Connecticut will likely be in North Texas to face the Dallas Wings (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) whereas the Tempo is additional out west to face the Golden State Valkyries down by the Bay Space (9:30 p.m. ET, TSN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
