
Tempo Win Coin Toss over Fire, Updated Order for WNBA Expansion Draft and 2026 WNBA Draft
The team that will pick first in next week's WNBA expansion draft has been decided.
The Toronto Tempo won the coin toss on Friday and elected to take the sixth pick in the WNBA draft, meaning the Portland Fire will get the first pick in the expansion draft.
Here's a look at the updated order for the WNBA draft:
- Dallas Wings
- Minnesota Lynx
- Seattle Storm
- Washington Mystics
- Chicago Sky
- Toronto Tempo
- Portland Fire
- Golden State Valkyries
- Washington Mystics
- Indiana Fever
- Washington Mystics
- Connecticut Sun
- Atlanta Dream
- Seattle Storm
- Connecticut Sun
The expansion draft will air on April 3 as the Fire and Temp look to build their rosters ahead of their first seasons in the WNBA. The WNBA draft will be held on April 13.
The other 13 teams in the league must submit their roster list by March 29, and those lists will consist of every player the team had the rights to at the end of last season. Teams can designate five "protected players" that cannot be picked in the expansion draft.
If a player who has not signed a contract for the 2026 campaign is selected by the Tempo or Fire, they will receive the player's rights that a previous team held. The two new teams may also only select one "potential unrestricted free agent," which are players with five or more years of service who has completed their previous contract.
If an expansion team selects a potential unrestricted free agent, that team is the only one that can negotiate a supermax contract.
As for the draft format, it will use a snake style, which means the team that chooses first in the first round will choose second in the second round.
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