portland fire And toronto tempo took the first step toward building its inaugural roster in Friday’s expansion draft, selecting 11 players each from a pool left unprotected by 13 pre-existing WNBA franchises. Both teams hope that this roster can bring them the same success as Golden State Valkyries Experienced in its first season last year.
Both general managers – Portland’s Vanja Cernivec and Toronto’s Monica Wright Rogers – expressed relief that the process was finally complete; They waited months until a new collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon. Both front offices had spent the offseason drafting internal scenarios, projecting five protected players on each team’s roster as well as potential selections from other expansion franchises.
Each franchise was also able to select one unrestricted free agent.
In a coin toss last week, Toronto opted to give the first pick in the expansion draft to Portland, giving the Tempos the high pick in the college draft on April 13. Both opted to leave one of their 12 roster spots open for the draft. portland chose minnesota lynx‘S bridget carlton at No. 1, while Toronto took Julie Allemand For their first choice at No. 2.
Three major trends emerged in Friday’s selections. Both teams have placed an emphasis on drafting experienced players, future core performers and, surprisingly, players who have a lot to offer but have been hit hard by injury.
Here’s a look at three players from each team who embrace those trends.
Veteran Presence: bridget carltonF (Minnesota Lynx)
The Fire decided they wanted to use their UFA pick on Carlton. And to make sure Toronto didn’t select the Ontario, Canada native, they selected him with the first pick in the draft.
Carlton came off the bench for the first five years of her WNBA career before slipping into Minnesota’s starting lineup in 2024. That season, she averaged a career-high 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists, while shooting 44.4% from 3 on 5.3 attempts, helping the Lynx reach the 2024 WNBA Finals.
Last year, he averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.8 steals as a starter. A 37.3% scorer from the 3-point line, the 6-foot-2 forward can help stretch the floor while providing decent size in the paint.
The Fire believes Carlton can make her role one after the other kayla thornton He played for Golden State before being sidelined by injury: continuing to improve his game, as the team’s veteran leader on the court and in the locker room.
“I think [Carleton] Did an amazing job at Minnesota and if you take her out of that environment and start building a team around her, we think she can be an All-Star player,” Cernivec said.
Carlton has experiences she can impart to her less experienced teammates. And if she can take another step forward in her career, she could make Fire a success in her first year.
Future founding players: Carla LeightYes (Golden State Valkyries)
The Fire’s second pick reunites the second-year guard with Cernewicz, who selected Leight for the Valkyries in their expansion draft before last season.
Golden State initially viewed the France native as a defender who would need to spend time developing. After being taken ninth overall by the Dallas Wings in the college draft eight months earlier, Leight spent the summer playing in Europe. But with the Valkyries relying heavily on international players, Leite fits their system perfectly. He quickly stepped into a rotation role, averaging 7.2 points and 2.0 assists as a backup. Veronica Burton.
Cernivec has called Leight “fearless” because of the way he plays. The 21-year-old brings tireless energy and has no hesitation in fighting through contact to get to the paint. She’s quick on her feet, but plays with a level of patience when she handles the ball, making sure she knows the play she’s going to make is correct.
In bringing her to Portland, which a source told ESPN was a “no-brainer” move, she got a taste of what it’s like to build something from the ground up. She understands the challenges and rewards of being a part of an expansion franchise. Portland hopes that mentality, coupled with his relationship with Cernewicz, will make Leight a leader on the court and in the locker room.
Wild-Card Selection: Nika MuhlYes (seattle storm)
At face value, this selection can be a head-scratcher. muhl will be missed All of 2026 season As she is recovering from surgery to repair a torn right ACL. She also missed the 2025 season while recovering from a left ACL injury. If he’s unable to contribute immediately, why would Portland use a roster spot for him?
Based on past rapport with Muhl, Cernivec certainly saw this as an investment in the future of the franchise: the two crossed paths in the NBA Academy Women’s Program in the 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
When healthy for the Storm a year ago, Muhal gave them good energy off the bench and quickly became a fan favorite. In his senior year at UConn in 2023–24, he 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 there is a level of confidence that head coach Alex Sarama’s player development style – an obstacle-based approach that emphasizes adaptability, improvisation and decision-making rather than predetermined movement patterns and drills – will allow Muhl to bounce back better than he did.
Veteran Presence: marina mabreyYes (connecticut sun)
One of the Suns’ most reliable players last season, it seemed surprising that Mabrey was left unprotected in the expansion draft — but the guard also Expressed interest in leaving Connecticut Last season. Now, he’s got the fresh start he’s been looking for.
Mabrey, an unrestricted free agent, was the Tempo’s third pick (sixth overall) and gives them an experienced scorer. Last season he averaged 14.4 points – the second-best scoring mark on the team – as well as 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. His 31.5 minutes per game were the most of any Suns player.
But what makes Mabrey stand out is his recent season in the Unrivaled: He led the league in 3-on-3 scoring, averaging 25.3 points on 43.4% shooting from the field. He also hit 10 3-pointers in one game when the league played in Philadelphia in late January.
Mabrey brings an edge that the Fire doesn’t have, at least on the surface. She can be controversial, and she doesn’t shy away from getting into it with other players. She plays with a level of physicality that isn’t very common in the WNBA. A player like Mabrey can serve as a foundational part of a startup franchise and shape its identity – and patience levels.
Future founding players: Julie AllemandYes (los angeles sparks)
Toronto hopes to have found its primary ball handler in Allemand, its first-choice pick. Despite being drafted in 2020 by indiana feverAllemand has played only three full seasons in the WNBA – with Indiana, with chicago sky in 2022 and with the Sparks last year. But he 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, he averaged just five assists kelsey plum More Recording (5.7).
However his real strength may come from his success at international level. A member of the Belgian national team, Allemand has won EuroCup women’s gold medals in 2023 and 2025.
A player with a high knack for ball distribution could be a smart way to lay the foundation for a new franchise aiming to take the field. This will allow head coach Sandy Brondello and his staff to not waste time teaching their players how to facilitate.
Wild-Card Selection: unique strongF (new york liberty)
Sabally was another player surprisingly left available by his former team – which eventually allowed him to reunite with his former coach Brondello.
Sabally has given the Liberty some good moments since being drafted fifth overall in 2022, but his tenure in New York has been marred by injuries. He missed his first season He was limited to only 17 games due to recovery from a right knee injury and inflammation in his surgically repaired knee last season.
But as Brondello transitions to a bigger lineup for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Sabally proved he can be a key presence in the paint. She proved it, becoming a key contributor for New York in an overtime Game 5 thriller in the 2024 WNBA Finals, scoring 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds to help turn the game in Liberty’s favor. Toronto may have found its star center in Sabally. He just needs to stay healthy.
