The WNBA has been on a roller-coaster ride in recent weeks. Amid the ongoing CBA battle between the league and the WNBPA, 100+ players are entering free agency, and the league is also expanding its teams. However, some decisions simply feel right. As Sandy Brondello begins her next chapter with one of the newest franchises, New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud has spoken candidly about the offseason moves taking shape around her former coach.

Speaking with reporter Madeline Kenney, Cloud didn’t hesitate to spotlight two hires that resonated with her deeply: Brondello landing in Toronto and Sonia Raman stepping into the head coach role in Seattle.

“Anytime a woman gets a head coaching position or any position where it’s an actual investment into women, I’m happy,” Cloud said.

However, her strongest praise was reserved for Brondello, whose appointment as the inaugural coach of the Toronto Tempo ranks among the franchise-defining decisions of this offseason.

“Sandy is gonna be a HOF coach, so she gets to kind of leave her imprint and mark somewhere else,” Cloud added.

Brondello, a former WNBA All-Star, has built one of the most decorated coaching careers in the league’s history.

• Led the Phoenix Mercury to a championship in her first season as a head coach in 2014
• Guided the New York Liberty to their long-awaited title in 2024.

Beyond the WNBA, Brondello has been a steady presence on the international stage, most recently leading the Australian Opals to a Bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Tempo, set to join the WNBA as an expansion team in 2026, is giving Brondello the rare opportunity to shape a franchise from the ground up. With a completely new roster to assemble and an expansion draft on the horizon once the league finalizes its collective bargaining agreement, her experience and leadership will be critical in defining the franchise’s identity.

On the other hand, Cloud was equally intentional in highlighting coach Raman taking the helm of the Seattle Storm.

“Sonia started off as a lawyer, she was in the NBA, and now is a head coach,” the Liberty star said. “I just think her story is really special and needs to be highlighted a little bit more.”

Raman spent over a decade leading MIT’s women’s basketball program before joining the NBA, where she served multiple seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, focusing on player development, scouting, and analytics. Most recently, she worked under Brondello’s guidance at the Liberty as an assistant coach before the Storm secured her to lead them.

With this, Raman became the first person of Indian descent to serve as a head coach in the WNBA, after already becoming the first Indian American woman to be an NBA assistant. But while these decisions have set the tone for what to expect next season, uncertainty around the CBA could delay key offseason moves.

Sandy Brondello must be patient as a new proposal might delay plans amid CBA headache

As the WNBA and the WNBPA failed to reach an agreement before the January 9 deadline, the league has proposed a moratorium. This could freeze free agency, leaving roughly 70% out in the cold before they can decide which team to play for. Additionally, qualifying offers and core player designations, which are critical steps for any team, especially for a franchise trying to establish itself from the ground up, will be delayed.

So for Sandy Brondello, it means that assembling her first roster, defining team culture, and setting Tempo’s identity will have to wait. While the pause is temporary, the moratorium proposal is designed to prevent confusion that could arise if roster moves go through under the old CBA, only to be subject to new rules once an agreement is reached.

Still, the Tempo coach is already thinking ahead.

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“I’m a firm believer that the more connected you are off the court, that’s going to help on it because you can overcome adversity,” Brondello said. “We’ll invest time into doing that. But it’s not my culture. It’s their player-led culture.”

Kia Nurse, Bridget Carleton, and Aaliyah Edwards all headline the list of potential Canadian free agents who could be drawn in by the chance to play closer to home.

But until a deal is finalized, Brondello must navigate a landscape of uncertainty, even as she prepares to build what could become one of the WNBA’s most talked-about franchises.