Toronto Tempo enter the offseason with optimism

The GIST: Throw on a pair of shades because the future’s looking bright for Toronto hoops, from Raptors returnee Kawhi Leonard inking a two-year, $115M extension to the Tempo’s outlook for next year. As the WNBA regular season winds down, let’s look at what’s to come for the 2026 debutants.

👏 The first impression: The Tempo’s inaugural season ran the gamut, with low lows like a 12-game losing streak and high highs including Marina Mabrey matching the WNBA’s single-game scoring record. But the story of Toronto’s debut can’t be told without the injury report as the team’s biggest stars — Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, and Kiki Rice among others — missing extended time.

• The Tempo notably had just three eligible players on their bench at multiple points this year. Suffice to say, the second-half hasn’t been pretty, but what’s left of their roster can cap off 2026 with a win against the Connecticut Sun tonight at 7 p.m. ET.

📈 Reasons for optimism in 2027: Everyone should be healthy next season. The team has multi-year commitments from its foundational backcourt (Mabrey and Sykes) and a solid young core (Rice and midseason acquisition Aneesah Morrow). Plus, this season’s struggles should land the Tempo a top pick in next year’s loaded draft. Paging a certain USC superstar.

• And last but certainly not least, the Tempo boast the fourth-highest cap space in the league. With more than $4.4M to spend before next season’s tipoff, expect the front office to work some magic. Buckets, loading.