WNBA 2026 expansion draft: Breaking down Portland, Toronto picks
The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo took the first steps toward building their inaugural teams in Friday’s expansion draft, selecting 11 players each from a group unprotected by the 13 pre-existing WNBA franchises. Both teams are hoping that these teams can bring them similar success to what the Golden State Valkyries experienced in their inaugural season last year.
Both general managers – Vanja Černivec of Portland and Monica Wright Rogers of Toronto – expressed relief that the process was finally over; they had waited months for the new collective agreement to be adopted. Both front offices had spent the offseason running internal scenarios, projecting the five protected players on each team’s roster, as well as the other expansion franchise’s potential picks.
Each franchise was also able to select an unrestricted free agent.
In a drawing last week, Toronto opted to give Portland the first pick in the expansion draft, giving Tempo the highest pick in the April 13 college draft. Both opted to leave one of their 12 spots open for the draft. Portland selected Bridget Carleton of the Minnesota Lynx first overall, while Toronto selected Julie Allemand with the first pick at second overall.
Within Friday’s selections, three major trends emerged. Both teams have placed an emphasis on recruiting veteran players, future foundational players and, surprisingly, players who have a lot of upside but have been significantly impacted by injuries.
Here’s a look at three players from each team who embody these tendencies.
Veteran presence: Bridget Carleton, F (Minnesota Lynx)
The Fire decided to use their UFA pick on Carleton. And to ensure Toronto didn’t select the Ontario, Canada native, they selected her with the first pick in the draft.
Carleton came off the bench for the first five years of her WNBA career before sliding into Minnesota’s starting lineup in 2024. That season, she averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and a career-high 2.2 assists while shooting 44.4% from 3 on 5.3 attempts, helping the Lynx advance to the 2024 WNBA Finals.
Last year, she averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.8 steals as a starter. A 37.3 percent scorer from the 3-point line, the 6-foot-2 forward can help spread the floor while providing decent size in the paint.
The Fire believe Carleton can model her role after the one Kayla Thornton played for Golden State before being sidelined due to injury: as the team’s veteran leader on the court and in the locker room, while continuing to improve her game.
“I think [Carleton] did an incredible job in Minnesota and if you take her out of that environment and start building the team around her, we think she could become an All-Star player,” Černivec said.
Carleton has experiences she can pass on to her less experienced teammates. And if she can take another step in her career, she could lead the Fire to a successful first year.
Future founding player: Carla Leite, G (Golden State Valkyries)
The Fire’s second pick reunites the second-year guard with Černivec, who selected Leite for the Valkyries in their expansion draft before last season.
Golden State initially viewed the French native as a guard that would need to spend time developing. Selected ninth by the Dallas Wings in the college draft eight months prior, Leite spent the summer playing in Europe. But as the Valkyries rely heavily on international players, Leite fits perfectly into their system. She quickly moved into a rotation role, averaging 7.2 points and 2.0 assists as Veronica Burton’s backup.
Černivec called Leite “fearless” in the way he plays. The 21-year-old brings relentless energy and doesn’t hesitate to fight through contact to get to the paint. She’s fast, but she also plays with a certain level of patience when handling the ball, making sure she knows the play she’s about to make is the right one.
By bringing him to Portland, what a source told ESPN was an “obvious” move, she brings a level of familiarity with what it means to build something from the ground up. She understands the challenges – and rewards – of being part of a growing franchise. Portland hopes that mindset, combined with her relationship with Černivec, will make Leite a leader on the field and in the locker room.
Wildcard pick: Nika Mühl, G (Seattle Storm)
At first glance, this choice could be a headache. Muhl will miss the entire 2026 season as she recovers from surgery to repair a torn right ACL. She also missed the 2025 season while recovering from a torn left ACL. If she’s not able to contribute right away, why would Portland use a spot on her?
Černivec surely saw this as an investment in the franchise’s future, based on a previous relationship with Muhl: the two crossed paths in the NBA Academy women’s program during the 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
When healthy for the Storm a year earlier, Muhl gave them good energy off the bench and quickly became a fan favorite. During her senior year at UConn in 2023-24, she averaged 6.9 points on 46.2% field goal shooting, including 40.2% from 3, 5.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 32.1 minutes.
Sources told ESPN that there is a certain level of confidence that head coach Alex Sarama’s style of player development — a constraints-driven approach that emphasizes adaptability, improvisation and decision-making rather than predetermined movement patterns and drills — will allow Muhl to come back better than she was.
Veteran presence: Marina Mabrey, G (Connecticut Sun)
One of the Sun’s most reliable players last season, it seemed surprising that Mabrey was left unprotected in the expansion draft — but the guard had also expressed interest in leaving Connecticut last season. Today, she gets the fresh start she was looking for.
Mabrey, an unrestricted free agent, was Tempo’s third pick (sixth overall) and gives them a veteran scorer. She averaged 14.4 points last season – second-best on the team – along with 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. His 31.5 minutes per game was also the most of any Sun player.
But what sets Mabrey apart is the season she just had in Unrivaled: She led the league 3-for-3 in scoring, averaging 25.3 points on 43.4 percent shooting from the field. She also made 10 3-pointers in a game when the league played in Philadelphia in late January.
Mabrey brings an advantage that Fire doesn’t have, at least on the surface. She can be controversial and she doesn’t hesitate to get involved with other players. She plays with a level of physicality that is not very common in the WNBA. An actor like Mabrey can serve as the foundation of a startup franchise and shape its identity – and its level of courage.
Future founding player: Julie Allemand, G (Los Angeles Sparks)
Toronto hopes to have obtained its main ball handler in German, its first choice. Although he was drafted in 2020 by the Indiana Fever, Allemand has only played three full seasons in the WNBA – with Indiana, with the Chicago Sky in 2022 and last year with the Sparks. But she was named to the All-Rookie team in 2020 after starting all 22 games for the Fever and averaging 5.8 assists and 8.5 points. For Los Angeles, she averaged five assists, with only Kelsey Plum recording more (5.7).
His real strength, however, could come from his success at international level. A member of the Belgian national team, German won EuroCup Women gold in 2023 and 2025.
A player with high ball distribution skills could be a smart way to lay the foundation for a new franchise aiming to get off the ground. This will allow head coach Sandy Brondello and his team to not waste time teaching their players how to facilitate.
Wildcard choice: Nyara Sabally, F (New York Liberty)
Sabally was another player surprisingly left available by her former team – ultimately leading to a reunion with her old coach, Brondello.
Sabally has given the Liberty some good moments since being drafted fifth overall in 2022, but her tenure in New York has been marred by injuries. She missed her freshman season recovering from a right knee injury and was limited to just 17 games last season due to a flare-up in the same surgically repaired knee.
But when Brondello moved to a wider lineup for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Sabally proved she could be an important presence in the paint. She proved that by becoming a key contributor for New York during its Game 5 overtime thriller in the 2024 WNBA Finals, scoring 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds to help turn the game in Liberty’s favor. Toronto might have found its star center in Sabally. She just needs to stay healthy.
