How Aneesah Morrow Trade Makes Toronto Tempo Better

On Friday morning, news broke that the Connecticut Sun traded second-year forward Aneesah Morrow to the Toronto Tempo in exchange for the rights to Maria Kliundikova and the Tempo's second-round pick in the 2028 WNBA Draft.

Morrow seemed like one of the likelier players to get dealt before the August 2 trade deadline, and Tempo fans should be thrilled about their newest acquisition.

Morrow is averaging 11.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 23.2 minutes through 20 games with Connecticut this season, while also tallying nine double-doubles. She was the No. 7 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft, and her continual improvement through her first two WNBA seasons bodes well for both Morrow and the Tempo moving forward.

Star Tempo guard Marina Mabrey played with Morrow during the 2025 season and wasted no time showing her excitement about this deal. She posted a graphic announcing the news to her Instagram account on Friday morning with the caption, "🐶🐶 lfgggg @aneesahmorrow24".

🔥😈 And Marina's reaction on Instagram: https://t.co/ejv2K0vhqY pic.twitter.com/hvbUMQab7F
— Marina Mabrey HQ (@MarinaMabreyHQ) July 31, 2026

Assessing Aneesah Morrow's Fit with the Toronto Tempo

Mabrey's use of the two dog emojis wasn't accidental. Morrow portrays that gritty, blue-collar "dawg" mentality that makes her impact extend past her stat line and helps the teams she plays on cement their identity.

Just last night, Morrow went viral for an exchange she had with Chicago Sky player Chloe Bibby, where Morrow was telling Bibby that she couldn't guard her. This is an example of the mentality Morrow will bring to the Tempo, which is very similar to what Mabrey already provides and should give Toronto a jolt of positive energy.

On the court, Morrow is a relatively undersized forward, but makes up for it with her positioning, physicality, and attitude. Similar to Angel Reese (with whom she was teammates at LSU), Morrow has an elite knack for knowing where the ball will bounce and therefore creates several second chances for her team each game.

Morrow's contract runs through 2028 with a team option for that final year, and then she becomes a restricted free agent in 2029. Even if the Tempo don't manage to make it to the WNBA postseason this year, they just added a young, hungry, and talented player they can build future teams around, which is exactly the sort of move an expansion squad should be making.

As for Connecticut, it's difficult to see the value they found in this deal. But that's the last thing on Toronto's mind right now.

Morrow's debut game with the Tempo will likely come against the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday.

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