Rachel: Kiki Rice drops twenty-eight points in a loss. Ten players on the injury list. And now, the Connecticut Sun are gone forever, moving to Houston. How does that change the entire landscape for Toronto? Welcome to the Beatline Podcast Network. I’m Rachel.
Dave: And I’m Dave. We’re looking at an offseason that defines the next decade. The lottery is coming. The rankings are shifting. And we have to talk about JuJu Watkins.
Rachel: Here is what we are diving into today. First, the massive geographic shakeup in the East as the Sun relocate. Second, how the 2027 Draft Lottery positions Toronto for a new era. And third, whether retaining Kiki Rice, Julie Allemand, and Isabelle Harrison is actually enough to survive the rebuild.
Dave: It’s not just about winning games this year. It’s about positioning for the best player in the world. Let’s get into it.
Rachel: Dave, let’s start with the biggest headline outside of our bubble. The Connecticut Sun played their final game in Connecticut last night, September 24th. They lost to us, 95-81, but they aren’t here anymore. They’re moving to Houston.
Dave: Right. So the franchise is gone from Connecticut. Ashlon Jackson led them with eighteen points, Hailey Van Lith had eight assists and nine rebounds. But the team itself? Moving west. That changes the Eastern Conference dynamic completely.
Rachel: It feels like a symbolic end to an era. For the Tempo, who finished fourth in the Eastern Conference Division, losing a division rival that was supposed to be there for years... it opens up space. Or does it?
Dave: It opens up confusion more than anything. Houston is a new market. They’re starting fresh. But for us, the immediate impact is on the draft lottery. Because if Houston is entering the league or re-entering, and Toronto is already in the mix... the stakes change.
Rachel: Let’s talk about that lottery. November 15th. ESPN is broadcasting it. Houston, Toronto, Washington, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles are the six teams involved. That’s a crowded field for the worst records.
Dave: Six teams. That means the odds are diluted. But look at the headlines. JuJu Watkins is expected to be the number one pick. Madison Booker and Hannah Hidalgo are projected second and third. If Toronto wants to jump the queue, they need to lose strategically. And right now, we are 0-0 because the season is over.
Rachel: Wait, hold on. We’re 0-0? The record is listed as 0-0 for the upcoming season context, but we just came off an 11-31 season. The brief says we are currently 4th in the Eastern Conference Division. So the standing is real, even if the current season hasn't started.
Dave: Exactly. The standing reflects the previous cycle. We finished fourth. But for the lottery, it’s about where we land in the pecking order of the worst teams. With ten players out during that final stretch against the Sun, including Brittney Griner, Rayah Marshall, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa... the message was clear. We were rebuilding.
Rachel: Ten players out. That’s a whole roster. Saniya Rivers, Kennedy Burke, Nyara Sabally, Kamila Borkowska, Maria Gakdeng, Maria Conde, Temi Fagbenle. All out. Against the Sun. That’s why the score was 95-81. It wasn’t just bad luck; it was a total absence of depth.
Dave: And yet, Kiki Rice still managed twenty-eight points. Isabelle Harrison grabbed ten rebounds. Julie Allemand had five assists. In a vacuum of talent, the core trio carried the load. But can they carry a team through a full season without help?
Rachel: That brings us to the power rankings. Valkyries and Dream are opening 1-2 in Way-Too-Early rankings. Golden State is the reigning champion. Where does that leave Toronto? Fourth in the East seems generous given the injuries.
Dave: Fourth is a holding pattern. We predicted this before. We said we’d finish fourth again in 2027. But only if the core remains. If we don’t hit on JuJu Watkins, that fourth place becomes a ceiling, not a floor.
Rachel: We’re going to take a quick break here. Stick with us, because we’re about to break down exactly how those division rivals stack up against the Tempo’s projected lineup.
Rachel: Welcome back. Dave, let’s look at the competition. The Sun are gone. Who steps into that void in the East? And how does Toronto compare to the Valkyries and Dream, who are sitting at the top of the early projections?
Dave: The Valkyries and Dream are strong, but they aren’t our direct rivals. Our rivals are the teams fighting for playoff spots in the East. Without the Sun, the middle of the pack gets messy. Seattle, Washington, maybe even a rising Chicago Sky.
Rachel: Chicago Sky played us recently too. September 22nd highlights show up. We lost that one as well. So we’ve got losses to both the Sun and the Sky in that final stretch. The defensive rotation issues were obvious.
Dave: When you have Isabelle Harrison grabbing ten boards but no rim protection from Griner or Nelson-Ododa, the paint is wide open. Opponents like the Sun exploited that. Ashlon Jackson didn’t have to work hard for easy points inside.
Rachel: So, if we retain Kiki Rice, Julie Allemand, and Isabelle Harrison, do we have enough to compete with a healthy Valkyries or Dream team next year? Or are we strictly a lottery team?
Dave: Strictly a lottery team unless we make a splash. The core trio is brilliant individually. Rice’s scoring volume is elite. Allemand’s playmaking is necessary. Harrison provides physicality. But basketball is five-on-five. You can’t win with three.
Rachel: That’s why the draft is so critical. If we get JuJu Watkins, she plugs into that gap. She adds spacing, she adds shot creation. Suddenly, Rice isn’t carrying the offensive load alone.
Dave: But getting her requires falling in the standings. We need to manage expectations. Last time we talked, we projected between 22 and 24 wins if health improves. But with ten players out, we didn’t even get close to that structure.
Rachel: And the fans are asking: do we trade away any of the core to get assets? Or do we bite the bullet, keep Rice, Allemand, and Harrison, and hope the lottery gods smile on us?
Dave: You don’t trade the face of the franchise while you’re waiting for the number one pick. You hold. You build around them. You let Watkins come to you. It’s a painful wait, but it’s the only path to contention.
Rachel: Before we move to our final segment, we want to thank you. This show is free, with no ads and no paywall — listener support is what protects that. Please consider chipping in via the link in the episode description.
Dave: Thank you for keeping the network running. Now, let’s wrap up the league storylines.
Rachel: Dave, what’s the bottom line for Toronto as we head into the offseason? The Sun are in Houston. The lottery is set. And the core is waiting.
Dave: Patience. The tempo of the rebuild is slow. But the foundation is there. Rice, Allemand, Harrison. Add JuJu Watkins. Fix the frontcourt injuries. We’ll be competitive again.
Rachel: We’ll see you on the other side of the lottery. Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen. Go Tempo.