By: Betty Cantley
NEW YORK – The 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft took place this past Friday, April 3, and it was a huge night for the league’s two newest franchises. Both the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo each selected 11 players, carefully choosing from the existing 13 teams to find a mix of veteran leadership and young international talent.
The top pick and #1 overall selection (Portland Fire) was Bridget Carleton (F, Minnesota Lynx). In a strategic move, Portland used their first pick on Carleton, an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and star of the Canadian National team.
By drafting her, Portland secured exclusive “Core” negotiation rights, enabling them to offer her a lucrative deal and make her the face of the franchise.
The #2 overall pick (Toronto Tempo) was Julie Allemand (G, Los Angeles Sparks). Toronto focused on elite playmaking by acquiring the Belgian point guard to lead their team.
International talent made up 63% of the picks. The draft reaffirmed that the WNBA’s expansion is heavily based on global talent. Of the 22 players chosen, 14 were international, representing 10 countries.
72% of Toronto’s picks were international, including Belgians Julie Allemand and Germans Nyara Sabally.
The Toronto Tempo’s selected roster, assembled by GM Monica Rogers, features scoring versatility and significant international depth.
WNBA EXPANSION DRAFT 2026
ROUND 1
1. Portland – Bridget Carleton (F, Minnesota)
2. Toronto – Julie Allemand (G, Los Angeles)
3. Portland – Carla Leite (G, Golden State)
4. Toronto – Nyara Sabally (C, New York)
5. Portland – Luisa Geiselsoder (C, Dallas)
6. Toronto – Marina Mabrey (G, Connecticut)
7. Portland – Emily Engstler (F, Washington)
8. Toronto – Aaliyah Nye (G, Las Vegas)
9. Portland – Maya Caldwell (G, Atlanta)
10. Toronto – Alexa Held (G, Phoenix)
11. Portland – Chloe Bibby (F, Indiana)
12. PASS
ROUND 2
13. Toronto – Maria Conde (F, Golden State)
14. Portland – Haley Jones (F, Dallas)
15. Toronto – Maria Kliundikova (F, Minnesota)
16. Portland – Nyadiew Puoch (F, Atlanta)
17. Toronto – Adja Kane (C, New York)
18. Portland – Sarah Ashlee Barker (G, Los Angeles)
19. Toronto – Nikolina Milic (F, Connecticut)
20. Portland – Sug Sutter (G, Washington)
21. Toronto – Kitija Laksa (G, Phoenix)
22. Portland – PASS
23. Toronto – Kristy Wallace (G, Indiana)
24. Portland – Nika Muhl (G, Seattle)
Notably, no players from the Chicago Sky were drafted.
Before April 3, Chicago traded draft assets, including the #17 and #26 picks in the upcoming collegiate draft, to Portland and Toronto.
This move allowed Chicago to keep their deep roster intact, while the new teams built for future drafts.
Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese was traded to the Atlanta Dream early Monday morning, April 6, 2026.
The expansion teams are currently in “handshake negotiations” with their drafted UFAs (like Carleton and Mabrey) to finalize contracts before free agency begins on April 7.
With their foundations in place, Portland and Toronto plan to use their substantial cap space to attract high-profile free agents such as Kelsey Mitchell or Satou Sabally.