WNBA Expansion Draft grades 2026: Live results and analysis for every pick by Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The first major event of the WNBA offseason has arrived.
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And for fans of the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo, it’s an event they longed to take in for months.
With a new collective bargaining agreement finally in place, the WNBA Expansion Draft — the league’s second in as many seasons — was held Friday afternoon on ESPN.
MORE: Breaking down how the WNBA Expansion Draft works for Toronto and Portland
The Fire and the Tempo, the WNBA’s 14th and 15th member franchises, filled out their rosters today. The snake draft encompassed 24 picks over two rounds; the Fire owned the first pick of the first round, while the Tempo selected first in the second round.
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Portland and Toronto were able to take a maximum of two players from the other 13 WNBA teams, with the notable exception of the Chicago Sky. The Fire and Tempo this week reached agreements with the Sky not to take any of Chicago’s players in the expansion draft.
Below, The Sporting News grades and analyzes each selection made in this historic expansion draft.
WNBA Expansion Draft grades 2026: Live results and analysis for every pick
Round 1
1. Portland Fire: Bridget Carleton, forward
The Fire, bringing WNBA basketball back to Portland for the first time since 2002, tipped off the expansion draft by selecting former Iowa State star Carleton with the top pick.
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Carleton started 44 games for the league-best Minnesota Lynx last season. She shot better than 40 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from 3-point range while playing outstanding defense. A solid, dependable player for Fire coach Alex Sarama to build around.
2. Toronto Tempo: Julie Allemand, guard
Canada’s first WNBA team took Julie Allemand from the Los Angeles Sparks. Allemand is an experienced, dependable floor general who can compete for a starting spot straight away.
3. Fire: Carla Leite, guard
Leite made six starts in her rookie season with the Golden State Valkyries. Her shooting needs some improvement but there is obvious potential there.
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4. Tempo: Nyara Sabally, center
A great pick if Toronto follows it up by selecting someone like Lauren Betts in the rookie draft on April 13. Sabally won a WNBA title with the New York Liberty in 2024 and has been a key reserve on contending teams.
5. Fire: Luisa Geiselsoder, center
Geiselsoder, a second-round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, averaged 15.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per 100 possessions in Dallas last season. Geiselsoder is a stretch big who needs some fine-tuning defensively but will present matchup problems for Portland’s opponents.
6. Tempo: Marina Mabrey, guard
Mabrey is an elite shooter with All-Star ability. However, consistency has at times eluded the Notre Dame product. With a fresh start under Sandy Brondello in Toronto, Mabrey will have a high usage rate and a platform to play some of her best ball yet.
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7. Fire: Emily Engstler, forward
A former fourth overall pick of the Indiana Fever, Engstler heads to her fourth WNBA organization, hoping to get minutes in Sarama’s rotation and carve out the regular role that her size and scoring ability have always teased.
8. Tempo:
9. Fire: Maya Caldwell, guard
Caldwell made a career-high 16 starts on a playoff team in Atlanta last season. She averaged 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per 100 possessions for the Dream. There is obvious upside for Caldwell in Portland given her growth as a shooter and her defensive resume.
10. Tempo:
11. Fire: Chloe Bibby, forward
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A forward who shot better than 40 percent from 3-point land as a rookie, Bibby adds an instant long-distance weapon after the Fever left her unprotected. If she keeps that up, this is a great pick.
12. Tempo:
Round 2
13. Toronto Tempo:
14. Portland Fire: Haley Jones, forward
A former top-10 pick brimming with potential. After stops in Atlanta and Dallas, Jones has flashed great scoring potential but has to get better on the defensive end.
15. Tempo:
16. Fire:
17. Tempo:
18. Fire: Sarah Ashlee Barker, guard
19. Tempo: Nikolina Milic
20. Fire:
21. Tempo: Kitija Laksa, guard
22. Fire: No selection
23. Tempo:
24. Fire: Nika Muhl, guard
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Former UConn standout Muhl will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL. If Portland can get her healthy, the Fire will get a good shooter and a great passer to compete for minutes in their backcourt.
MORE: WNBA Expansion Draft live results: Updated picks, list of selections for Toronto, Portland
