Sandy Brondello didn’t stay on the market long. Less than two months after being dismissed by the New York Liberty, the two-time WNBA championship coach found herself at the center of one of the league’s most competitive coaching searches.

According to Front Office Sports, multiple teams made a push to land her — including the Dallas Wings, Seattle Storm, and expansion franchise Toronto Tempo — before Brondello ultimately decided to take on a new challenge north of the border.

Brondello’s dismissal from New York in September came as a surprise across the league. She had guided the Liberty to their first-ever WNBA title in 2024 and returned them to the playoffs in 2025, only to be let go after a first-round exit. When she became available, several teams quickly cleared paths to pursue her. The Wings, who had fired first-year head coach Chris Koclanes days after Brondello hit the market, were among the first to reach out.

Despite drawing multiple offers — and at least one more lucrative than Toronto’s — Brondello prioritized fit and collaboration over financial gain.

“This is the place I wanted to be,” Brondello said Tuesday. “To build a team from the ground up, that really excited me.”

According to Front Office Sports, Brondello’s new contract with the Tempo is a multi-year agreement worth seven figures annually, placing her among the WNBA’s highest-paid coaches. She now joins Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon and Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts as the only known members of the league’s $1 million club.

Tibbetts, who took over in Phoenix ahead of the 2025 season, was reportedly the league’s top-paid coach this year with a salary exceeding $1 million. Hammon became the first WNBA coach to hit that mark when she joined the Aces in 2022, leading Las Vegas to three championships in four years under owner Mark Davis.

After Hammon’s latest title run, Davis hinted that her compensation could rise even further.

“Oh, she’s not?” Davis said with a grin when asked in October if it was time to make Hammon the league’s highest-paid coach, later calling her “unbelievable.”

With Brondello’s hiring in Toronto, four of the league’s five head coaching vacancies have now been filled. The Liberty — her former team — remain the lone organization still searching for a new leader.

According to Front Office Sports, former Liberty assistant Sonia Raman was hired by the Seattle Storm on a multiyear deal valued in the high six figures annually, with performance bonuses that could push her total earnings past the $1 million mark.

The Portland Fire filled their opening with NBA assistant Alex Sarama, while the Wings turned to longtime college coach Jose Fernandez to take over in Dallas.

For Brondello, Toronto offers a clean slate and the chance to shape a franchise from its inception — a rare opportunity even for one of the WNBA’s most accomplished coaches.