The Portland Fire selected 21-year-old French guard Carla Leite with the No. 3 overall pick in Friday's 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft, giving the franchise a young backcourt piece ahead of its inaugural season.
Leite joins Portland after a steady rookie year with the Golden State Valkyries. Appearing in 37 games, she averaged 7.2 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game. According to Golden State, she ended her debut year as one of seven WNBA rookies to post at least 250 points, 40 rebounds, and 70 assists, while shooting 38.7% from the field.
That production came after her initial transition to the US league. The Dallas Wings selected Leite No. 9 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, before she subsequently landed with Golden State in the 2025 expansion draft. She carved out a consistent role in the California club's rotation, proving herself as both a solid ball-handler and scoring option.
Leite arrived from France with experience in her home country's top professional league and national team system. Her game resonates via pace and control, able to create off the dribble, operate in the pick-and-roll, and hold her own defensively.
Portland's selection fits its roster-building approach. In a statement, Fire GM Vanja Cernivec said the team prioritized players who "embody effort, selflessness, and a commitment to team success." She added that "each player we select reflects the culture of what we are building."
Leite's selection marks her second straight year being taken in an expansion draft, reflecting both her upside and value as a young WNBA talent.
Portland will open its debut season in May, with Leite in position to compete for significant minutes as the Fire establishes their backcourt rotation.
The Portland Fire selected guard Nika Muhl from the Seattle Storm during Friday's 2026 WNBA expansion draft — despite knowing the former UConn standout will miss the entire 2026 season with a knee injury.
Muhl tore her right ACL during a March 11th EuroBasket qualifying game for Croatia. The 24-year-old subsequently underwent surgery on April 1st, just two days before the expansion draft kicked off.
The injury marks the second consecutive season-ending ACL tear for Muhl. She missed the entire 2025 campaign after tearing her left ACL while playing for Turkish club Besiktas in the FIBA SuperCup.
The Croatian guard appeared in only 16 games across two seasons with Seattle since the Storm drafted her 14th overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She averaged 2.8 minutes per game during her lone healthy season.
Despite the injury history, Portland sees long-term value in the 5-foot-11 point guard after she established herself as one of college basketball's premier defenders under UConn coach Geno Auriemma. The Fire's move suggests it views Muhl as a potential building block once she's fully recovered.
Muhl won Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and earned All-Big East recognition for three straight seasons. Her defensive prowess shined brightest during the Huskies' 2024 NCAA tournament run. There, she shut down some of college basketball's top scorers including Syracuse's Dyaisha Fair and Iowa's Caitlin Clark.
Portland's expansion draft selection signals a patient approach, as Nika Muhl recovers from her second major knee injury in as many years. The Fire will open their inaugural season in May 2026.
The WNBA expansion draft is here, as the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo begin building out their inaugural rosters ahead of their 2026 franchise debuts.
The Fire won the coin toss and will pick first in Friday's two-round draft. Each expansion team can make up to six selections from a designated pool of unprotected current players sourced from the WNBA's existing franchises.
Only Chicago's roster remains off limits. The Sky secured immunity after trading away its 2026 second-round college picks in exchange for protection from the expansion draft.
How the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft Works
The WNBA expansion draft follows strict parameters designed to protect existing teams while giving the new franchises a competitive edge. Each of the league's 13 teams submitted roster lists covering every player they hold rights to, including active, suspended, draft list/reserved, cored and retired athletes.
Teams can then protect up to five players from those lists, as long as they remain under active contracts, hold reserved rights, or enter restricted or core-able free agency. All other players are subsequently available for expansion team selection.
Once Portland or Toronto selects an unprotected player in the first round, neither expansion franchise can draft another player from that team until the second round. This rule prevents any one team from immediately losing multiple players.
No existing team can lose more than two unprotected players total, with each expansion team allowed to draft only one unrestricted free agent throughout the process.
The expansion draft represents just the first roster construction step for both incoming franchises. After today, the Fire and Tempo will participate in free agency before the 2026 WNBA Draft kicks off on April 13th.
How to Watch Portland and Toronto in the WNBA Expansion Draft
The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will tip off the 2026 expansion draft Friday at 3:30 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN.
WNBA expansion draft details have arrived, as incoming franchises Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire prepare to build their debut rosters now that the WNBA CBA is all but official.
Though previously reported to occur on April 6th, the WNBA clarified on Wednesday that the two-team expansion draft will occur on Friday, April 3rd, shortly before the league's star-studded free agency period begins in earnest.
Kicking off the process will be a coin toss between the incoming franchises this Friday, with the winner able to either earn the top expansion draft pick or secure the No. 6 overall pick in the April 13th college draft.
The league's 13 veteran teams can protect up to five players each, with full roster lists — including all potential unrestricted free agents — as well as "Protected Player" designations due to the WNBA office by Sunday.
Similar to last offseason's Golden State Valkyries expansion draft, the protected player lists will likely not be made public.
Both Portland and Toronto can select only one unrestricted free agent from this year's notably deep pool in the expansion draft.
Meanwhile, existing teams can protect any free agent eligible for a "core" designation.
Once the 2025 WNBA teams submit their protection lists, Toronto and Portland can also negotiate and enter pre-expansion draft trade agreements, either to specifically select or not select a particular player, or to select an unprotected player in order to immediately trade her to another team.
The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will begin stocking their rosters in the 2026 WNBA expansion draft on Friday, April 3rd.
The draft will air live at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN.
The Chicago Sky is under legal fire, as minority partner Steven Rogers filed a lawsuit last week alleging majority owner Michael Alter "breached his fiduciary duty to the minority investors" by devaluing the WNBA team for his own benefit.
The complaint claims that in 2022 — months after Chicago won their lone WNBA championship — Alter engaged in "opportunistic self-dealing," diluting minority shares in the lead-up to a 2023 funding round that saw MLB's Cubs owner Laura Ricketts buy into the team at an $85 million valuation.
In late 2025, Forbes ranked the Sky as the world's 12th most valuable women's sports franchise at $240 million — a significant turnaround from that 2023 valuation despite three consecutive losing seasons.
The current lawsuit also puts Alter's Chicago Sky leadership in the hot seat, accusing the commercial real estate developer of going rogue without a board of directors.
"As a business, Alter's operation has been a mess," reads the filing. "Throughout his tenure, Alter flouted the agreement's basic requirements and minimal standards for business operations."
Alter's legal representation countered with their own statement. "We are aware of the lawsuit filed last week by an early Chicago Sky investor. The lawsuit is completely meritless. We look forward to defending our case through the appropriate legal channels and believe this matter will be disposed of quickly. This matter will not affect the Sky's operations. Because this is active litigation, neither Mr. Alter nor the Chicago Sky will be commenting further."
The Chicago Sky will open their 2026 season by visiting incoming expansion side Portland Fire on Saturday, May 9th.
However, as the season nears and CBA negotiations stall, internal issues continue to overshadow what promises to be a pivotal year for the WNBA.
The 15th WNBA team is starting to spark, with incoming expansion side Portland Fire dropping their inaugural 2026 jersey designs this week.
"Our 2026 jerseys are an embodiment this new era of the team: bold, innovative, and resilient," said Fire senior VP of marketing and communications Kimberly Veale in the team's Wednesday press release. "Every element was shaped with Portland in mind, honoring our legacy, while capturing the spirit and energy of this incredible city we represent."
The two-jersey lineup includes the white WNBA Nike Heroine Edition with "Fire" written on the front "signifying the city's passion for the team," as well as a red WNBA Nike Explorer Edition "celebrating the Fire's legacy" in the league's return to Portland.
Both jerseys also feature a left shoulder patch for sponsor Chime, after the financial services company officially signed on to be the team's banking and credit partner on Tuesday.
Additionally, the franchise unveiled new secondary "PDX" logos on Wednesday, designed to reference local geographic icons like the Willamette River and Mt. Hood.
Notably, the team is still without a roster, as ongoing CBA negotiations have thrown the WNBA calendar in flux.
Barring a work stoppage, the first-ever Portland Fire game will tip off against the visiting Chicago Sky on Saturday, May 9th.
How to buy a Portland Fire WNBA jersey
While the white "Heroine Edition" is not yet available for purchase, fans can now buy an "Explorer" jersey, as well as apparel from the new PDX logo capsule collection, at the Portland Fire's online Team Shop.
The 2026 WNBA schedule has arrived, as the league released key dates on Wednesday despite ongoing CBA talks that threaten to delay the start of the upcoming season.
Opening day will be Friday, May 8th, when the WNBA tips off with a tripleheader featuring incoming expansion side Toronto Tempo against the Washington Mystics, the New York Liberty hosting the Connecticut Sun, and the Golden State Valkyries visiting the Seattle Storm.
Fellow 2026 addition Portland Fire will debut on Saturday, May 9th, hosting the Chicago Sky to close out another tripleheader that includes a 2025 WNBA Finals rematch between the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, as well as a Rookie of the Year showdown between the Paige Bueckers-led Dallas Wings and Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever.
Other 2026 season highlights include the return of the annual WNBA Commissioner's Cup in June and the Chicago Sky-hosted All-Star Weekend in late July, with the league set to pause for a two-week break in early September to allow its stars to compete in the FIBA World Cup.
After the regular-season closes on Thursday, September 24th, the 2026 WNBA Playoffs will tip off on Sunday, September 27th, with a repeat of last year's best-of-three first round, best-of-five semifinals round, and best-of-seven Finals.
Notably, the 2026 WNBA schedule drop falls within the current status quo period, which allows the league to conduct certain aspects of its business as usual under the old CBA while continuing to negotiate new terms with the players union.
"I'm just starting to see [the light at the end of the tunnel]," New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart told Front Office Sports this week, hinting at a bargaining resolution while an official work stoppage remains on the table.
The WNBA continued its holding pattern this week, with the league and WNBPA reportedly agreeing to a moratorium on free agency transactions while still negotiating a new CBA.
The league office and players union did not reach a deal prior to last Friday's deadline expiration, with both parties choosing to move into a status quo period in which the old CBA terms remain in effect — rather than negotiate a third extension.
While the moratorium puts the 2026 WNBA season's free agency period in question, it also allows teams to avoid making offers to players that are unlikely to sign under the expiring CBA with its likely lower compensation thresholds than the expected incoming deal.
With nearly every WNBA veteran signing short-term deals in anticipation of the new CBA last offseason, all but two league vets are free agents entering 2026 — and while a work stoppage isn't currently imminent, the clock is ticking.
The league originally set the free agency period to begin this week, with 2026 newcomers the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire now sitting in a holding pattern as the incoming franchises await the stalled expansion draft details.
Roster building aside, the moratorium does allow for other aspects of league business to continue, with players still able to access team facilities and openly communicate with team executives.
The WNBA CBA deadline came and went on Friday, leaving the league and the players union in a status quo holding pattern while negotiations drag on.
The WNBA and WNBPA are continuing talks under the conditions of the previous CBA, without a moratorium on offseason activity like qualifying offers to restricted free agents.
The league originally set the opening to begin free agency conversations for January 11th, allowing teams to now start sending offers through January 20th — though those proposed deals must abide by the terms of the expired CBA.
Amidst the deluge of one-year deals inked last offseason in anticipation of a renegotiated CBA — and the significant compensation bump likely to result from a new agreement — nearly all WNBA veterans are now free agents, with reports indicating that players aren't eager to sign contracts under the old CBA.
This year's free agency period also hinges on the league's expected two-team expansion draft, with incoming franchises Portland and Toronto unable to build their rosters due to the ongoing CBA delays.
Though the WNBA is reportedly not yet considering locking out the players, the WNBPA recently reserved the right to formally authorize a work stoppage through a strike measure, saying the "WNBA and its teams have failed to meet us at the table with the same spirit and seriousness."
Retired WNBA icon Sylvia Fowles is returning to the court, with ESPN reporting on Wednesday that the former Minnesota Lynx star center will join the staff of the Portland Fire, becoming an assistant coach for the 2026 expansion team.
After reportedly fielding multiple offers of WNBA coaching opportunities, the 40-year-old will back up recently announced Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama during the team's debut season, with the opportunity to help mold a fresh league roster and create culture from day one serving as a deciding factor in Fowles choosing the expansion franchise.
The 2025 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee's resume underlines her ability to make an impact from the sideline, as the beloved WNBA alum packs both championship experience and a defensive mindset to aid a team still forming its identity.
In a 14-year playing career split between the Chicago Sky and Minnesota, the 2017 WNBA MVP won two league titles, earning Finals MVP honors alongside each of those Lynx championships.
A four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Fowles exited her pro career as the league's all-time rebounds leader with 4,007 boards — a stat that held until current Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles passed the Hall of Famer in September 2024.
The eight-time All-Star also shined on the international stage, as Fowles snagged four Olympic gold medals during her time with Team USA.