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The Toronto Tempo aren't holding back.
The WNBA expansion team is leaning in to putting together a talented roster for its first year of existence, and that looks like it'll start in the backcourt with Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes.
On Friday, ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported that Mabrey and Sykes have each agreed to two-year max contracts with the Tempo. That makes them "the first known million dollar backcourt pairing," according to Philippou.
The new CBA agreed to this offseason allows for deals up to $1.4 million per year, and while it's not clear whether Mabrey and Sykes met the exact criteria for that total, any "max" deal under the new collective bargaining agreement will reach seven figures.
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Toronto may not have been the team many expected to have the first seven-figure guard duo, but the Tempo assessed what was available to them and found the money to make it happen.
Mabrey and Sykes were once rivals in the ACC at Notre Dame and Syracuse, respectively. Now they're teammates in the WNBA.
Mabrey is one of the league's most talented shooters. In 2025 for the Connecticut Sun, she averaged 14.4 points and 4.0 assists per game, although her 3-point percentage was the worst of her career at just 27%. Just a season earlier, she had been at 42.4% from beyond the arc, and for her career is 34.7% from deep.
Sykes is a bucket getter and a pest of a defender. Splitting 2025 between Seattle and Washington, she averaged 14.1 points, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game while making it to her first All-Star Game.
The Tempo had selected Mabrey's rights in the WNBA expansion draft and were able to keep her on board. Sykes was a free agent and simply chose to come join Toronto.
It can be tricky for expansion teams to compete right away, but having so much of the WNBA in free agency this offseason likely increases their chances. It certainly won't hurt to have a veteran backcourt that can both score the ball and make plays for others.
Mabrey and Sykes will be well compensated, and now their job is to create good vibes around the Tempo right from the outset.
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