The uncertainty around the CBA negotiations is difficult for everyone invested in the WNBA, whether that\u2019s players, owners, or fans. But two teams have it worse than others. The Tempo and Fire don\u2019t even have any players on their rosters yet, no one to use for promotions or marketing, no names to print on jerseys for fans to buy. The expansion draft and free agency will solve those problems, but no one knows when either will happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean that the Tempo and Fire don\u2019t have lists of players they would like to sign, though. For the Tempo, that list undoubtedly contains some local talent. As the first WNBA franchise in Canada, it would be a missed opportunity not to try to sign players like Bridget Carleton and Kia Nurse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nurse, conveniently, just offered the Tempo the perfect recruiting pitch. The veteran guard appeared on\u00a0Yahoo! Sports\u2019 Hoops 360<\/a> and spoke about what it means to her to be able to play in Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI am just really excited about the fact that no matter what happens, whether I\u2019m playing for the Toronto Tempo or I\u2019m playing against the Toronto Tempo, I will be able to play a basketball game on home soil,\u201d Nurse said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She also added how great it is to see her family and friends in the stands anytime she plays in Canada and spoke about past experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was blown away by the emotion that I genuinely felt when I was in LA and got to play in that one game in Edmonton,\u201d Nurse added. \u201cI looked into the stands and there was different jerseys. There was my Canadian jersey, my original New York jersey, Phoenix was in there, there were some LA shirts that were being sold, and so, to me in that moment, it was like that\u2019s my entire journey just sitting there. I ugly cried all the way back to the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n That honesty makes the Tempo\u2019s recruiting pitch to Nurse incredibly simple: If just one game felt that special, imagine an entire season with a dedicated, local fan base.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Tempo could land Kia Nurse in free agency<\/p>\n Like most veterans in the league, Kia Nurse is an unrestricted free agent. Chicago is unlikely to protect her in the expansion draft\u2014Angel Reese, Kamila Cardoso, Ariel Atkins, Ajsa Sivka, and Maddy Westbeld or Hailey Van Lith will very likely take up the five protected spots<\/a>\u2014but, unless the new CBA brings some significant changes, the Tempo would have to core Nurse if they picked her in the expansion draft. Nurse isn\u2019t a typical core player or someone the Tempo should want to spend a max contract on.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Tempo can still pursue Nurse in free agency for a more reasonable price, though. She was solid for the Sky, averaging 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over 44 games, but Chicago desperately needs upgrades at every position to avoid more conflict with Angel Reese, who wants to play for a competitive team<\/a>.<\/p>\n