Portland, Toronto Lay Foundations in WNBA Expansion Draft

New teams select veteran players and top college prospects in two-round draft

Apr. 3, 2026 at 11:21pm by Ben Kaplan

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a fragmented WNBA basketball game, with sharp planes of navy, orange, and silver representing the strategic building of new expansion teams.The WNBA expansion draft lays the foundation for Portland and Toronto's inaugural seasons, with a mix of veteran talent and promising young prospects.Portland Today

The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, the WNBA's two newest expansion teams, selected their inaugural rosters in Friday's expansion draft. Portland chose veteran forward Bridget Carleton with the first overall pick, while Toronto took guard Julie Allemand. The Tempo won a coin flip and opted to take the sixth pick in the upcoming college draft over the top pick in the expansion draft, allowing Portland to go first. Each team was allowed to protect five players, leading to several trades between the expansion clubs and existing franchises to prevent certain players from being selected.

Why it matters

The WNBA expansion draft is a critical moment for the league's newest teams as they build their inaugural rosters. The selections made will shape the on-court product for Portland and Toronto in their inaugural seasons, while also impacting the existing WNBA teams that lost players in the draft.

The details

In the first round, Portland selected Carleton from the Minnesota Lynx, while Toronto took Allemand from the Los Angeles Sparks. The Tempo then chose center Nyara Sabally from the New York Liberty, guard Marina Mabrey from the Connecticut Sun, forward Aaliya Nye from the Las Vegas Aces, guard Lexi Held from the Phoenix Mercury, and forward Maria Conde from the Chicago Valkyries. In the second round, Toronto added forward Maria Kliundikova, center Adja Kane, center Nikolina Milic, guard Kitija Laksa, and guard Kristy Wallace. Portland's other first-round picks were guard Carla Leite, center Luisa Geiselsoder, forward Emily Engstler, guard Maya Caldwell, and forward Chloe Bibby. Their second-round selections were guard Haley Jones, forward Nyadiew Puoch, guard Sara Ashlee Barker, guard Sug Sutton, and guard Nika Muhl.

  • The expansion draft took place on Friday, April 3, 2026.
  • The 2026 WNBA college draft will be held on April 13, 2026.

The players

Bridget Carleton

A veteran forward who played last season for the Minnesota Lynx, averaging 6.5 points per game. She was an unrestricted free agent selected by the Portland Fire with the first overall pick in the expansion draft.

Julie Allemand

A guard who played last season for the Los Angeles Sparks, averaging 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 games. She was selected by the Toronto Tempo with the first pick in the expansion draft.

Vanja Cernivec

The general manager of the Portland Fire.

Nyara Sabally

A center selected by the Toronto Tempo in the expansion draft from the New York Liberty.

Marina Mabrey

A guard selected by the Toronto Tempo in the expansion draft from the Connecticut Sun. She was also an unrestricted free agent.

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What they’re saying

“Once we finalized our process, and zoomed in on Bridget, and knew we had our first expansion pick, it was obvious we did not want to have Toronto hold our destiny in their hands.”

— Vanja Cernivec, General Manager, Portland Fire

What’s next

The 2026 WNBA college draft will be held on April 13, 2026, where the Portland Fire will have the seventh overall pick and the Toronto Tempo will have the sixth overall pick.

The takeaway

The WNBA expansion draft allowed the new Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo franchises to begin building their inaugural rosters, selecting a mix of veteran players and top college prospects. The selections made will be crucial in determining the early success and competitiveness of these expansion teams as they look to establish themselves in the league.