Unrestricted free agent Bridget Carleton was selected by the Portland Fire as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft on Friday.
Carlton was targeted for fire early, and Portland didn’t want to give Toronto a chance to select the Ontario native, a source told ESPN.
Both the Fire and Toronto Tempo focused on veteran players in the draft, laying a more experienced foundation in the first steps each franchise took in building its inaugural roster, with the hope that as opportunities increased for each player, more production would follow.
Carlton, who has played for the Minnesota Lynx since being drafted by the team in 2019, was a rotation player on the team en route to the best record in the league last season. She averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 27.9 minutes per game coming off the bench.
Portland also selected Maya Caldwell, a five-year veteran who recently spent three seasons with the Atlanta Dream, Emily Engstler (five years of service) and Sug Sutton (four years of service).
Toronto drafted six-year veteran Marina Mabrey from the Connecticut Sun. Last season, she was the team’s second-leading scorer with 14.4 points, and also averaged 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 31.5 minutes per game, a team-high. The Tempo also acquired Niara Sabally, who filled some holes for the New York Liberty last season while they struggled with injuries to their stars, and Julie Allemand, who only played in the league for three seasons but was originally drafted in 2016.
Below is the complete list of players selected, listed in the order in which they were selected by each team:
Portland fire
Bridget Carlton, Minnesota Lynx
F Carla Litt, Golden State Valkyries
J. Luisa Gesselsöder, Dallas Wings
C Emily Engstler, Washington Mystics
F. Maya Caldwell, Atlanta Dream
J. Chloe Baby, Indiana Fever
G Haley Jones, Dallas Wings
G Goddess, Dream Atlanta
F. Suge Sutton, Washington Mystics
G Nika Muhl, Seattle Storm
toronto weather
J. Julie Allemand, Los Angeles Sparks
J. Daughter of Sabally, New York Liberty
C Marina Mabry, Connecticut Sun
J Aaliyah Nye, Las Vegas Aces
J. Lexi Held, Phoenix Mercury
J. Maria Conde, Golden State Valkyries
F. Maria Kleondikova, Minnesota Lynx
F. Adja Kane, New York Liberty
Nikolina Milic, Connecticut Sun
F. Kitja Lax, Phoenix Mercury
J. Christy Wallace, Indiana Fever
Leite going to Portland pairs her with general manager Vanja Cernivec, who served as vice president of basketball operations for the Valkyries in their first season and helped bring Leite to the Bay Area — where she became an important scorer and facilitator off the bench.
Jones was the No. 6 pick in the 2023 draft, but was waived multiple times by the Dream and the Mercury before landing in Dallas last year. There, she finally got more opportunities and regained her production as well, averaging eight points per game.
Portland also picked up Muhl, who was ruled out of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn right ACL. This is the second straight year the third-year player will be out, having missed the 2025 season recovering from a torn ACL. Muhl has a personal relationship with Cernivec, as the two worked with each other in the NBA Academy in 2019.
For Toronto, the relegation gives the team a solid three-point shooter who played a big role for the Mercury on their way to the WNBA Finals. She was a 25-year-old rookie last season, but has three years of experience playing overseas.
Neither team selected the Chicago Sky, and chose to complete pre-deals with Chicago – exchanging picks in the expansion draft for the 17th pick (to Portland) and 26th pick (to Toronto) in the collective draft in 10 days.
Each team was allowed to select one unrestricted free agent, which Portland chose to use on Carleton and Toronto used on Mabry. Since they are not starters, both Carlton and Mabry can still exercise that right and not sign with the team that took them in the expansion draft.
Free agency is next on the WNBA’s offseason agenda. However, sources told ESPN that teams do not have dates or details on when the period will start. This is because the new collective bargaining agreement has not yet been signed. The league, players and board voted to ratify the CBA, which FIBA described as “one of the most transformative business agreements ever reached in major professional sports.” However, sources said that until the longshot is signed, free agency cannot take place. Another source added that there is hope that it will be completed by Sunday.
The collective draft is set for April 13, and training camp begins April 19.
