Toronto sends Connecticut a 2028 second-round pick and the rights to Maria Kliundikova two days before the trade deadline.
The Toronto Tempo acquired Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow on Friday, the team announced. Connecticut receives the rights to Maria Kliundikova and a 2028 second-round pick.
The WNBA trade window closes at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
Connecticut took Morrow seventh overall in the 2025 draft out of LSU, where she played two seasons after two at DePaul. She started 23 of 41 games as a rookie and averaged 7.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. Morrow is signed through 2027 with a club option for 2028.
In her first 18 games this season, Morrow averaged 10.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 22.6 minutes, with seven starts and 11 substitute appearances. She missed nine games due to a left leg injury in June and a subsequent six-game absence later in the summer, initially for personal reasons and later for reconditioning.
On July 28 in Washington, Morrow scored 21 points with an 8-of-16 shooting performance and made 4-of-7 from three in a 92-84 loss. She scored another 21 points on Thursday in Chicago, also adding 7 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 8-of-12 in a 94-88 loss.
Toronto has a 10-18 record and has lost five games in a row. On Thursday, Minnesota defeated Toronto 104-72. The Tempo are 13th in the league for rebounding, averaging 31.3 per game, with Isabelle Harrison leading at 6.4. Players like Nyara Sabally, Harrison, and Temi Fagbenle have missed parts of the season. Toronto's backcourt features Marina Mabrey, who made history as the franchise's first All-Star this month.
Annie Costabile of The Athletic reported July 28 that Toronto had been shopping a future first-round pick for a young post player since the start of the season, and that proposals to the Los Angeles Sparks and the Sun were turned down. Costabile reported the selection most likely available was a 2028 pick. The pick in Friday's deal is a second-rounder.
Toronto selected Kliundikova in the second round of the expansion draft in April and extended her a reserved qualifying offer. She was not on the Tempo's training camp roster. The 27-year-old center went 11th overall to the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2018 draft and appeared in 34 games with Minnesota in 2025, averaging 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.0 minutes. She played 26 games for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian PBL in 2025-26, averaging 12.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 20.7 minutes.
Connecticut is 7-22 and last in the Eastern Conference. The Sun are playing their final season in Uncasville before the franchise relocates to Houston in 2027. Madeline Kenney of the New York Post reported Thursday that New York had backed away from its own pursuit of Morrow.
Toronto won both meetings with Connecticut this season, 106-102 on June 10 and 101-97 on June 19. The teams play again Sept. 24 in Uncasville.
Connecticut plays at Dallas on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. Toronto plays at Golden State on Sunday.
