5 2026 WNBA expansion draft takeaways from Friday's results
How did Friday's WNBA expansion draft fare for both Toronto and Portland?
Friday's 2026 WNBA expansion draft gave the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire plenty of quality players to kick off those franchises in modern league competition. Both rosters (attached below) have good players, even if only one roster (at least in our view) has a true ace who can take over games. However, compared to Thursday obviously, both franchises are in a much better spot.
What are our big takeaways? Well, we've looked at how each team fared and gleaned some quick insights into how each team might fare once they kick off league play in May. But, first, the complete rosters for both Toronto and Portland after Friday's unveiling.
The Portland Fire have selected their roster 🙌 Bridget Carleton Carla Leite Luisa Geiselsöder Emily Engstler Maya Caldwell Chloe Bibby Haley Jones Nyadiew Puoch Sarah Ashlee Barker Sug Sutton Nika Mühl 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft presented by State Street Investment Management… — WNBA (@WNBA) April 3, 2026 The Toronto Tempo have selected their roster 👏 Julie Allemand Nyara Sabally Marina Mabrey Aaliyah Nye Lexi Held María Conde Maria Kliunkova Adja Kane Nikolina Milić Kitija Laksa Kristy Wallace 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft presented by State Street Investment Management SPY — WNBA (@WNBA) April 3, 2026 Marina Mabrey is the new face of the Toronto Tempo Unless Toronto lands a huge free agent later in the month, the team adding Mabrey in the expansion draft makes her the new face of the franchise. Mabrey is the most likely to light up the scoreboard from beyond the arc and win over fans in the opening months of the season. Sandy Brondello will lean on Mabrey as her new Sabrina Ionescu in terms of the type of offense she wants to run.
Expect Mabrey to have a monster season in Toronto by default. Bridget Carleton is a surprise first pick for Portland Carleton is a good player and has been integral to the Minnesota Lynx's recent success. Portland snagging her with the top expansion draft pick is a bit of a surprise, but we get it.