Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo begin roster construction as the league formalises its latest expansion phase with a nationally broadcast draft and structured player protection rules.
The WNBA will enforce a controlled redistribution of talent across its existing teams as part of its 2026 Expansion Draft, outlining a tightly structured process designed to support the league’s two newest franchises without significantly weakening incumbents.
Set for 3 April and broadcast by ESPN, the draft will allow the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo to begin constructing their inaugural rosters from a pool of players made available by the league’s 13 existing teams.
Each team is permitted to protect a maximum of five players, with all remaining rostered talent eligible for selection.
The framework ensures expansion sides can access experienced players across the league, while limiting the overall talent drain from any one franchise. Both Portland and Toronto will select across two rounds in a “snake” format, alternating picks and drawing from each team’s unprotected list.
What about WNBA free agents?
The draft also includes restrictions around free agency, with only one “Potential Unrestricted Free Agent” permitted per expansion team. These players, defined as those with five or more years of service whose contracts have expired, can still be selected, though the mechanism limits how expansion teams can leverage free agency to accelerate roster building.
In addition, the league has opened a window for pre-draft trades, allowing Portland and Toronto to negotiate agreements with existing teams. These may include arrangements to select or avoid selecting certain players, or to draft and subsequently trade players to third parties.
The process forms a central step in operationalising the WNBA’s 14th and 15th franchises, both of which are scheduled to begin play in May. A coin toss on March 27 will determine which team receives the first pick in the Expansion Draft or a preferential position in the separate college draft on April 13.
While the mechanics of the draft are designed to balance competitive integrity, the event itself is also being positioned as a broadcast and commercial asset. Coverage will be anchored by ESPN, with the draft presented in partnership with State Street Investment Management, continuing the league’s broader alignment with corporate sponsors.
The expansion process follows a similar structure to previous drafts, including the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, but marks a further step in the league’s ongoing growth strategy, increasing its footprint to 15 teams across new and existing markets.
As the WNBA moves from expansion announcements to on-court preparation, the draft represents the first tangible stage in integrating Portland and Toronto into the league’s competitive and commercial ecosystem.
