Connecticut Sun Trade 2025 No. 7 Pick Aneesah Morrow to Toronto for 2028 Pick

Q: Why would a struggling Sun team trade a 23-year-old rebounder with nine double-doubles before the deadline?

Connecticut likely traded Aneesah Morrow because the Sun are reshaping the roster for a longer-term rebuild, not because Morrow lacked value. Morrow, 23, has been productive — 11.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and nine double-doubles in 20 games — but the Sun are 7-22 and are widely viewed as a franchise in transition. Reporting around the deadline described Connecticut as “in flux,” with pressure to reorganize its frontcourt and clarify which young players fit its next core. Morrow’s value may also have been highest now: she is young, affordable, under team control through 2027 with a 2028 option, and attractive to multiple teams. That makes her one of the few players on a losing roster who could return assets. The trade return reflects that thinking. Connecticut received the rights to Maria Kliundikova, a 6-foot-4 forward, plus a 2028 second-round pick. Kliundikova did not join Toronto this season, so for the Sun this is partly a future-facing bet on size and optionality rather than immediate help. The club also signaled that it hopes she will play next season. There is also a basketball fit element. Connecticut has had frontcourt overlap and may prefer to redistribute minutes and touches among other bigs as it evaluates the roster over the rest of the season. In that context, moving Morrow before the deadline lets the Sun convert a promising player into future assets while giving Toronto a frontcourt piece it clearly prioritized.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 31

Aneesah Morrow is headed to Toronto, with Connecticut receiving Maria Kliundikova’s rights and the Tempo’s 2028 second-round pick in a deal pending a physical within 48 hours.
11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 20 games made Morrow one of the Sun’s most productive young forwards; she scored 21 points Thursday in her final game for Connecticut.
Toronto also waived guard Tima Pouye to stay at a 12-player roster, and Morrow is expected to join the team in San Francisco before a five-game road trip begins Sunday.
Connecticut made the move as it continues a rebuild ahead of its 2026 relocation to Houston, while Toronto targeted a young frontcourt piece to complement guards Kiki Rice and Marina Mabrey during a five-game skid.