Tempo to select sixth in entry draft, second in expansion draft
The coin has been flipped and the Toronto Tempo’s roster-building fate heading into Year 1 has been determined.
By winning a literal fifty-fifty coin flip against the fellow-expansion Portland Fire, Canada’s WNBA team was given the choice between receiving the higher entry draft selection or the first overall pick in the expansion draft and chose the former, the team announced on Friday.
The Tempo will choose sixth in the upcoming college entry draft on April 13th and second in the expansion draft on April 3. Subsequently, the Fire will own pick No. 7 in the entry draft and go first in the expansion draft. Meanwhile, the Dallas Wings will be picking first in the entry draft for a second consecutive season after taking Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers out of UConn in 2025.
Toronto’s choice for the higher selection in the entry draft appears to be a strategic roster-building move, given that over 80 per cent of the league — including 21 of 24 all-stars — are free agents heading into a WNBA season set to begin in less than two months.
With plenty of uncertainty surrounding the logistics of an expansion draft because of the sheer amount of UFAs, increasing the odds of adding a long-term top-end talent through the draft, and on a team-friendly deal, seems to be a logical step. The Tempo own three picks in the 2026 entry draft, Nos. 6, 22 and 36.
Although there’s no consensus No. 1 pick heading into the entry draft as in recent years past, there are plenty of top prospects for Tempo fans to scout out in the coming days, including UCLA’s Lauren Betts, UConn’s Azzi Fudd, LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and TCU’s Olivia Miles and Awa Fam of Spain’s Liga Femenina de Baloncesto.
As for the expansion draft, the process will feature two rounds in which Toronto and Portland combine to make up to 24 total selections, or up to 12 each. The teams will alternate between selections, meaning the Tempo will select first in the second round of the expansion draft (13th overall).
Meanwhile, as the race to Opening Night has turned into a sprint with a condensed schedule leading into the festivities, the Tempo can at least look to the Golden State Valkyries, which went through the expansion process last season, for lessons.
The Tempo tip off their inaugural campaign with pre-season action against the Connecticut Sun on April 29 and then the real games begin on May 8 with a matchup versus the Washington Mystics.
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