Toronto Tempo make first trade in franchise history

The Toronto Tempo are officially open for business.

The expansion franchise has acquired the 26th-overall pick in the 2026 WNBA draft from the Chicago Sky, via the New York Liberty, the Tempo announced Wednesday.

In exchange, the Toronto has agreed not to select from Chicago’s unprotected player list in the upcoming 2026 expansion draft on Friday, April 3.

The Sky also swung a deal with the Portland Fire, sending them the 17th pick meaning that neither expansion franchise will draft any unprotected Chicago players. The Sky also received Portland’s 21st-overall choice in the draft as part of the deal.

After winning a coin flip on March 27, the Tempo chose to select sixth – instead of seventh – in the college draft. This means they’ll select second to the Fire in the expansion draft. They’ll also have priority over Portland on the waiver wire.

The expansion draft will have two rounds, with 12 total picks per round alternating between the Fire and Tempo, and will follow a snake format, meaning that after choosing 12th, the draft will “snake” back around and the Tempo will also select 13th. The Tempo would be wise to learn lessons from the Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft last season.

Each existing franchise had to submit a list of five protected players to the league by March 29 that will be exempt from selection. No more than two players can drafted from a single team.

The college draft will occur on April 13 and after the deal the Tempo now hold picks six, 22, 26 and 36. Beyond the two drafts, the Tempo will have to build their roster out via free agency. This may be their best opportunity, considering that 80 percent of the league are free agents – timing their contracts with the expiration of the old CBA – and that 21 of 24 All-Stars from last season are available on the open market.

The first taste of Tempo hoops will come in the form of a pre-season game against the Connecticut Sun on April 29. Then their inaugural WNBA season will tip-off on May 8 against the Washington Mystics at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

The post Toronto Tempo make first trade in franchise history first appeared on Raptors Republic.