The Toronto Tempo missed the playoffs in their inaugural season. Given the fact that the Tempo were playing their inaugural season, expecting top results with a fresh team was unrealistic. However, after the season ended, Toronto was also able to identify its biggest weakness, which it would need to address in the next season.
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“We need better defense. We’re not a very good defensive team. Obviously, some rim protection would be good,” head coach Sandy Brondello said in the exit interview, as per WNBA reporters Chelsea Leita and Deadria.
Brondello is known for her high-quality offense, and it reflected in Toronto. The Tempo had the ninth-best offensive rating in the league despite having an expansion roster. However, they had the worst defensive rating among all 15 teams in the league.
The Australian coach has an elite resume as a coach. She led the New York Liberty to their maiden title two years ago and never missed a playoff in over a decade as a head coach.
Sandy Brondello is more than capable of developing an elite offensive system in Toronto. However, in order to create a sustainable team, she would also need players with a high defensive mindset. The Tempo’s general manager, Monica Wright, also had a similar diagnosis about the shortcomings of the roster.
“We do have some defensive-minded players. Positionally, we need some more defensive-minded players that match with the schemes. We need some more posts that can protect the rim,” Wright said, per Deadria on X.
From the comments of both the head coach and the general manager, there is clarity about what kind of players the Tempo would be targeting in the offseason free agency.
The Tempo finished the 2026 WNBA season as the 13th seed with an 11-33 record. Toronto went 1-20 in their last 21 games, which included a 12-game and an eight-game losing streak separated by a win over the Portland Fire on Aug. 21.
While they were expected to finish better, they were also hit by a series of injuries in the season. The Tempo lost their top stars like Aneesah Morrow, Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey to injuries, forcing them to rely on their reserve players to end the season. Morrow was limited to just seven games, while Sykes and Mabrey played 28 and 32 games, respectively.
One of the biggest reasons that Brondello came to Toronto was Wright herself. The Australian native coach had head coaching offers from the Seattle Storm and the Dallas Wings. Sandy Brondello was also excited because she had a chance to build something from the ground up.
“I’ve never done an expansion, and I love the idea of doing it in a whole new country. How cool is that?” Brondello told The Globe and Mail in an interview from her home in Phoenix just before arriving in Toronto for training camp.
“That’s very unique. I get to build something from the ground up, and I know how hard that is, but I’m ready for the challenge. … I want to keep winning championships. I want to win another one so it can be with the three different teams.”
Ask Breanna Stewart, and she would tell you that her former championship coach could create an absolute “masterpiece” on “a blank canvas.” But Toronto wasn’t as lucky as the Golden State Valkyries when it came to the expansion draft. Unlike the Valkyries, which had all the time in the world and a large pool to select players, the Tempo had to compete with the Portland Fire in the expansion draft.
The Tempo were able to sign some of the good players and draft a talented rookie like Kiki Rice, who has shown her talent in the absence of top stars due to injuries. Sandy Brondello will have both Sykes and Mabrey, who are signed through the 2027 season. The Tempo will also dig deeper into the pool of free agent players to add to the roster.
This offseason will see some of the best players in the league hit free agency. Stars like Napheesa Collier, DiJonai Carrington, Natasha Cloud, Kelsey Mitchell, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, and Sophie Cunningham will hit free agency. Brondello can explore the market and try to recruit the defensive pieces that she believes will get her team on the winning track.