For nearly 18 months, CBA negotiations loomed over the WNBA, threatening to push key offseason activities further down the calendar. But with the historic agreement finally in place, the first item on the agenda is the expansion draft.

The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are all set to begin building their inaugural rosters through the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft. But unlike last year’s Golden State expansion, this one comes with a new layer of complexity.

What’s Different About the 2026 Expansion Draft?

At first glance, the structure would feel familiar. But there are a few key changes.

For starters, teams can now protect only five players instead of six. That one-player difference may sound small, but across 13 teams, it significantly deepens the available pool.

Then there’s the biggest twist: unrestricted free agents are now selectable even if they can’t be scored. That means expansion teams can even go after high-level veterans and offer them a supermax deal.

How will the Draft Actually Work?

The format itself is straightforward:

• Two rounds, 12 picks each
• Snake format (order flips in Round 2)
• Portland picks first after the coin toss outcome
• Only one player per existing team can be selected per round
• Each expansion team can select just one unrestricted free agent

However, the real question is – who actually ends up on Portland and Toronto’s rosters?

But before diving into projections, there’s one important thing to keep in mind. Each of the WNBA’s 13 teams will protect five players, and they were required to submit their full rosters to the league earlier this week to indicate who would be available for selection and who won’t be. But the only catch is that those protection lists aren’t public.

Which means while we have a strong sense of which players could be available, there’s no definitive way to know for sure. And that uncertainty is exactly what makes projecting these rosters both tricky and fascinating.

Projected Approach: How Portland Fire Could Build Their Roster In The Expansion Drafts?

With the No. 1 overall pick, Portland can secure a franchise cornerstone first, then build its team around it.

And that’s where Ezi Magbegor could come in. An elite defensive presence who can anchor a team in the long term.

From there, Portland would likely lean toward positional depth, so they could target players like Luisa Geiselsöder and Olivia Nelson-Ododa to solidify the frontcourt. While that might create a temporary imbalance, expansion drafts aren’t about perfect roster construction on Day 1. They’re about asset accumulation.

Coming to the backcourt, adding players like Kristy Wallace and Marine Johannès to the roster can bring immediate shooting, playmaking, and rotation stability.

Projected Portland Core Rotation:

• Guards: Julie Allemand, Lucy Olsen, Kristy Wallace, Marine Johannès
• Wings/Forwards: Maddy Siegrist, Kierstan Bell
• Bigs: Ezi Magbegor, Luisa Geiselsöder, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Dorka Juhász

It’s not a perfectly balanced team yet, but it’s a great start towards building one of the strongest teams in the league.

Projected Approach: How Toronto Tempo Could Build Differently In The Expansion Drafts?

With Toronto picking second, they may take a slightly different route.

For them, Dearica Hamby stands out as the kind of player you can build around right away. Hamby brings scoring and playmaking experience that will give the Tempo a focal point from Day 1.

From there, Toronto could look at Nyara Sabally, who can offer a long-term, valuable addition in the frontcourt, while wings like Maya Caldwell and María Conde would add much-needed two-way flexibility.

In the backcourt, players like Lexi Held and Maite Cazorla can bring the ability that will be essential for a brand-new team trying to establish a rhythm early.

Projected Toronto Core Rotation:

• Guards: Maite Cazorla, Sevgi Uzun, Lexi Held
• Wings: Maya Caldwell, María Conde, Kitija Laksa
• Forwards/Bigs: Dearica Hamby, Nyara Sabally, Emily Engstler, Chloe Bibby

Compared to Portland, this roster feels more perimeter-oriented.

When and Where to Catch the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft?

Date: Friday, April 3

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN | Streaming: fubo

What Happens After the Draft?

This is where things get even more interesting.

The expansion draft is just step one, as free agency, where more than 100 players of the league will be free agents, opens immediately after, and both Portland and Toronto will still need to fill gaps, reshape their rosters, and potentially flip some of these picks into better fits.

And because they’ll hold exclusive negotiating rights with any unrestricted free agent they select, both teams have a unique opportunity to control parts of the market early.

The Bigger Picture

At its core, this upcoming expansion draft isn’t just about Portland and Toronto. It’s about how the WNBA is evolving.

Between expansion, free agency, and new financial structures, roster-building is becoming more aggressive, more strategic, and far less predictable. And for the first time in a while, the gap between established contenders and new teams might not be as wide as expected.

Because if this draft proves anything, it’s that expansion teams aren’t just here to participate; they are here to take over.