Aneesah Morrow is on the move.
The second-year WNBA forward has been traded by the Connecticut Sun to the Toronto Tempo with two days remaining before the league’s trade deadline hits. In exchange for Morrow, the Sun have acquired the rights to Maria Kliundikova and the Tempo’s 2028 second round pick.
Both the Sun and Tempo confirmed specifics of the trade in news releases. Toronto also waived guard Tima Pouye, who appeared in 19 games for the club this season.
“We are incredibly grateful for the time Aneesah spent with the Connecticut Sun and for the professionalism, commitment and buy-in she showed from the moment we drafted her,” Sun president Jen Rizzotti said in a statement. “She embraced our vision, was a tremendous ambassador for our franchise
both on and off the court, and built meaningful relationships with our fans, her teammates and staff.”
An accomplished college star who played in a pair of Elite Eights at LSU, Morrow was selected seventh overall by the Sun in the 2025 WNBA Draft. A native of Illinois, she started her college career at DePaul before transferring to LSU. The two-time All-American led the NCAA twice in single-season rebounding, won the Tamika Catchings Award as the nation’s top freshman in 2022 and won the Katrina McClain award as the nation’s top power forward in 2025.
This season for the Sun, Morrow is averaging 11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 42.7% from the floor — all improvements from her rookie season. The 6-foot-1 forward also leads the WNBA in defensive rebounds per 40 minutes with 10.8 and has the second-best total rebounding percentage in the league this season at a 23.5% clip. Morrow is the only player in the WNBA this season averaging at least 11 points and eight rebounds while playing fewer than 25 minutes per game.
Toronto is 10-18 this season but has aspirations of trying to make a run in the second half of the season to break into the playoffs. Morrow should help the Tempo on the boards where they rank 13th out of 15 teams in rebounds per game.
Morrow is under contract for the 2027 season and has a team option for 2028 before she becomes a restricted free agent in 2029.
Kliundikova was acquired by the Tempo in the expansion draft. A 28-year-old from Russia, she has played in 74 WNBA games since 2018 but has not made an appearance for the Tempo this season. The 6-foot-4 forward played in 34 games for the Lynx last season, averaging 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aneesah Morrow sent to Toronto Tempo as WNBA trade deadline nears
