The Toronto Tempo are coming out swinging in their very first WNBA free agency, signing the WNBA’s first million-dollar backcourt. Per ESPN, the Tempo are signing Marina Mabrey (who they cored this week) as well as Brittney Sykes to 2-year, max contracts.
WNBA Free Agency: Grading Mabrey and Sykes signing in Toronto
The Toronto Tempo are signing the WNBA’s first million-dollar backcourt duo.
Chelsea Leite has been writing about professional basketball since 2021, and covers both the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Tempo as a credentialed reporter for SB Nation.
As the core player for the Tempo, Mabrey was eligible for $1.4 million this year, but likely negotiated a 2-year contract at the regular max of $1.19 million in year one with a slight bump up in 2027. The Tempo chose her from the Connecticut Sun in the expansion draft with the intention to core her.
Sykes comes to Toronto by way of Seattle, where she was traded midseason in 2025. She’s a strong two-way shooting guard, a WNBA All-Star, and a 4x WNBA All-Defense selection. Her veteran presence was significant on the Washington Mystics at the beginning of last season, which is likely a big reason Toronto had sought her out.
Grade for Sykes, Mabrey signings: B+
For a team that started from zero on a compact timeline, the Tempo have been taking big swings. The idea of coming out competitively in year one is an intriguing experiment for an expansion franchise, something Golden State did well in 2o25. Right now, the Tempo have the 11th-best title odds in the WNBA in 2026, at +150,000, according to our friends at FanDuel, but they were always unlikely to win a championship in year one. These signings are about setting a standard of professionalism for a new franchise, and growing a culture to build upon.
Bringing in Sykes as a veteran leader is definitely a good move to build culture on a new team, and pairing her with an instant fan-fav like Mabrey is just fun.
Right now, the Tempo’s roster is still very small and very guard-heavy. The idea of spending a max contract on Sykes when you possibly could have spent that money on a solid frontcourt player raises eyebrows and creates a little bit of risk, but it’s still early in free agency. There is still a good chunk of money and lots of good players left on the market for Toronto to get the depth they need. Overall, the Sykes move is very fun for the new Toronto team, and both of these players should quickly become fan favorites in the new WNBA city.
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