The Toronto Tempo selected Julie Allemand with their first pick in Friday's 2026 WNBA expansion draft, choosing the LA Sparks and Belgium guard second overall to launch the franchise's inaugural roster.
In her only season with LA, 29-year-old Allemand averaged 5.4 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds across 34 games.
"Julie brought a versatile skill set to the Sparks, highlighted by her elite court vision and selfless play," Sparks GM Raegan Pebley said in a statement. "Toronto is gaining a talented player and an exceptional teammate."
Portland Fire drafted Canadian forward Bridget Carleton from the Minnesota Lynx with the first overall selection. Portland earned the top pick, after Toronto won a coin toss and opted for the sixth overall selection in the April 13th WNBA entry draft.
"Today is an important step in building the foundation of the Toronto Tempo," GM Monica Wright Rogers said in a team statement.
"Our goal was to construct a roster that reflects the style of play and culture we want to establish — one that balances competitiveness with long-term flexibility, and features players who bring versatility, toughness and winning experience."
Julie Allemand Headlines International Toronto Tempo Roster
Toronto's additional first-round WNBA expansion draft selections include Nyara Sabally (New York), Marina Mabrey (Connecticut), Aaliyah Nye (Las Vegas), Lexi Held (Phoenix), and Maria Conde (Golden State).
The second round subsequently brought María Conde (Golden State), Maria Kliundikova (Minnesota), Adja Kane (New York), Nikolina Milic (Connecticut), Kitija Laksa (Phoenix), and Kristy Wallace (Indiana) to Canada's first-ever WNBA team.
The roster features two WNBA champions in Sabally and Nye, with Tempo players representing eight countries including the US, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Russia, France, and Latvia.
Earlier this week, Toronto acquired the 26th pick in the college draft from Chicago in exchange for the Sky's expansion draft immunity.
The Tempo is set to tip off its debut WNBA season on May 8th.
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 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 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."
One of the newest WNBA teams stepped out this week, as the Toronto Tempo unveiled their debut jerseys Tuesday ahead of their inaugural 2026 season.
"Today marks another meaningful milestone on our journey to bringing Canada's first WNBA team to life," Toronto CMO Whitney Bell said in Tuesday's release. "Every detail of these uniforms is intentional."
The designs feature the team's signature Borealis Blue and Tempo Bordeaux colors, with six speed lines down the sides mirroring the Tempo's logo.
"We've created a design that brings our brand to life and represents our city, our fans, and our team," said Bell. "We cannot wait for our players — and our fans — to wear them with pride."
While the WNBA expects that Toronto will hit the court next season alongside fellow incoming franchise the Portland Fire, stagnant CBA negotiations have delayed both expansion drafts.
In the meantime, the teams are moving forward with staff hirings and the development of on- and off-court identities as they wait to build out their rosters.
How to purchase the inaugural Toronto Tempo jerseys
While there is no release date yet for the team's "Heroine" jersey, the Toronto Tempo's "Explorer" jersey will be available for purchase beginning in January.
Fans looking to snag a jersey can sign up to receive the latest drop dates at TorontoTempo.com.
The WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a second CBA extension late Sunday night, officially pushing the contract's deadline to January 9th, 2026, to allow for 40 more days of negotiations.
Like the original CBA extension from October 31st to December 1st, either the WNBA or WNBPA now has the option to terminate the agreement with 48 hours of notice.
"We expect substantive movement from the league within this window," the players union told Front Office Sports, while the WNBA issued a statement saying both parties are "continuing to work toward a new agreement."
While total annual compensation offers have reportedly crossed the million-dollar mark for players earning the league's maximum, the WNBA's salary model — particularly in regards to revenue sharing — remains a core issue.
According to sources, the WNBA's proposal offers players a revenue-sharing option only after reaching certain minimums, while the WNBPA continues to advocate for a bigger cut of the exponentially growing league.
The players union is also reportedly advocating for a salary cap that increases with the league's income, rather than at an arbitrarily fixed growth rate.
With important offseason processes like the planned two-team expansion draft to stock incoming 2026 WNBA franchises the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo now delayed until a new CBA is in place, the pressure is approaching new highs on both sides of the negotiating table.
The WNBA Players Association is making friends, as brother player unions for the NBA, MLB, and NFL all issued statements last week supporting the WNBPA while the league officially extended the ongoing CBA negotiations by an additional 30 days.
Calling WNBA players' impact on the league "undeniable," the NFLPA wrote on Wednesday that "It's time for fair compensation, proper working conditions, and a future that puts players first."
"We're with you for as long as it takes to get what you deserve," the MLBPA told WNBPA players in a Saturday solidarity post on social media.
"We stand with the women of the WNBPA as they work toward a collective bargaining agreement that reflects their value and impact both on and off the court," the NBPA posted on Saturday.
Amid the statements of support from other player unions, the WNBA and WNBPA also officially extended their CBA negotiation deadline on Friday.
The league office and the WNBPA now have until November 30th to reach a deal, though the players can terminate the extension at any time with 48 hours notice — a move that would put them on a path toward a possible work stoppage.
"While we believed negotiations would be further along, the players are more focused, united, and determined than ever to reach an agreement that reflects their value and undeniable impact on the league," the union wrote in a Friday statement.
ESPN reported that the two sides met multiple times last week, as a busy WNBA offseason with two expansion drafts and an active free agency period looms.