EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsUnrestricted free agent Bridget Carleton was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Portland Fire in the 2026 WNBA expansion draft on Friday.Carleton was targeted by Portland early, a source told ESPN, and the Fire didn't want to give Toronto a chance to select the Ontario, Canada native.Both the Fire and Toronto Tempo placed an emphasis on veteran role players in the draft, laying a more experienced foundation in the first steps each franchise took in building their inaugural rosters, and hoping that with increased opportunities for each player, more production will follow.Carleton, who has played with the Minnesota Lynx since she was drafted by the team in 2019, was a rotation player for the franchise on its way to the league's best record last season. She averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 27.9 minutes per game coming off of the bench.Portland also selected Maya Caldwell, a five-year veteran who most recently spent three seasons with the Atlanta Dream, Emily Engstler (five years of service) and Sug Sutton (four years of service).Toronto drafted six-year veteran Marina Mabrey from the Connecticut Sun. Last season, she was the team's second-highest scorer with 14.4 points, and also averaged 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a team-high 31.5 minutes per game. The Tempo also took Nyara Sabally, who filled some holes for the New York Liberty last season as they navigated injuries to their stars, and Julie Allemand, who has only played in the league for three seasons, but was drafted in 2016.Here are the full list of picks selected by both teams in the order that they were selected:Portland FireBridget Carleton, Minnesota Lynx,F Carla Leite, Golden State ValkyriesG Luisa Geiselsoder, Dallas WingsC Emily Engstler, Washington MysticsF Maya Caldwell, Atlanta DreamG Chloe Bibby, Indiana FeverG Haley Jones, Dallas WingsG Nyadiew Puoch, Atlanta DreamF Sug Sutton, Washington MysticsG Nika Muhl, Seattle StormToronto TempoG Julie Allemand, Los Angeles SparksG Nyara Sabally, New York LibertyC Marina Mabrey, Connecticut SunG Aaliyah Nye, Las Vegas AcesG Lexi Held, Phoenix MercuryG Maria Conde, Golden State ValkyriesF Maria Kliundikova, Minnesota LynxF Adja Kane, New York LibertyF Nikolina Mili, Connecticut SunF Kitija Laksa, Phoenix MercuryG Kristy Wallace, Indiana FeverLeite going to Portland reunites her with general manager Vanja Cernivec, who served as the vice president of basketball operations for the Valkyries in their first season, and helped bring Leite to the Bay Area - where she became an important scorer and facilitator off of the bench.Jones was the No. 6 pick in the 2023 draft, but was waived a few times by the Dream and Mercury before landing in Dallas last year. There, she finally got more of an opportunity and picked up her production as well, averaging eight points per game.Portland also picked up Muhl, who was ruled out of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn right ACL. This is the second straight year the third-year player will miss, having sat out the 2025 season to recover from a torn left ACL. Mulh has a personal relationship with Cernivec - the two worked with each other in the NBA academy in 2019.For Toronto, landing Held gives them a strong 3-point shooter who carved out a big role with the Phoenix Mercury on their way to the WNBA Finals. She was a 25-year-old rookie last season, but she came with three years of experience playing overseas.Neither team selected from the Chicago Sky, opting to complete pre-draft trades with Chicago - exchanging the picks in the expansion draft for the 17th pick (to Portland) and the 26th pick (to Toronto) in the collegiate draft in 10 days.Each team was allowed to select one unrestricted free agent, which Portland chose to use on Carleton and Toronto used for Mabrey. Because they are not cored players, both Carleton and Mabrey could still exercise that right, and not sign with the team that took them in the expansion draft.Free agency is next on the WNBA's offseason agenda. However, sources told ESPN that teams do not have the dates or details on when the period will begin. This is because the new collective bargaining agreement has not been signed yet. The league, its players and board of governors all voted to ratify the CBA, which the WNBA said is "one of the most transformational labor agreements ever reached in major professional sports." However, until the long-form document is signed, free agency cannot take place, sources said. Another source added there's hope it could be complete by Sunday.The collegiate draft is set for April 13, and training camp begins April 19.
