The 2026 WNBA free agency period delivered plenty of twists and turns, including a couple involving the Indiana Fever. Tuesday produced perhaps its biggest surprise yet.
Stars moved to new homes across the league. Brittney Griner landed with the Connecticut Sun, while Skylar Diggins joined the Chicago Sky. Meanwhile, All-Stars A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier all stayed put.
A new CBA raised the salary cap from $1.5 million to $7 million. The landmark deal unlocked a spending spree unlike anything the league had seen.
Yet amid all the blockbuster signings, one move nobody saw coming stole the show.
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Free agent center Temi Fagbenle agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal with the Toronto Tempo.
The massive payday marked a stunning leap for the veteran big. Last season, Fagbenle earned roughly $90,000 with the Golden State Valkyries. The unexpected move left many across the league speechless.
Indiana Fever fans felt it especially hard. Fagbenle spent the 2024 season in Indianapolis before heading to Golden State. She averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds across 22 games with the Fever.
Stunned fans took to X to react.
"Dayum. A Million bucks for Temi. I didn't see that coming. Glad she got her bag but I didn't see that coming," one fan wrote.
"Temi will make more than Kelsey Plum next season. Does that sound logical? This free agency landscape is giving ADD kid at a toy store energy. Some of these purchases don't make sense," another said.
"This is the problem with just rapidly increasing the cap. Too many GMs refuse to pay a player their true value, and will overpay to just grab something. This league is going to be a disaster in a few years," a user wrote.
"Good for her. She is a do what I got to do player. Every team needs a get your hands dirty player. So many drama queens in every sport. It's good to see she got paid," replied another.
"Wish she could have come back to the Fever but there's no way they had a million more in cap space to spare. I'm happy for her that she's getting paid though," a fan wrote.
"No wonder the Fever couldn't sign her," a commenter added.
The Tempo have had a busy offseason overall. Toronto also signed Canadian guard Kia Nurse to a one-year deal on Tuesday.
