2026 WNBA Mock Expansion Draft for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo
The WNBA expansion draft for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo is scheduled for Friday, and with free agency quickly approaching, teams are now forced to make difficult long-term roster decisions.
To understand how the expansion draft will work, here are some key rules: The league's 13 existing teams can protect just five players each. From there, Portland and Toronto can select up to two players per team, but no more than one per round.
Any unprotected player with five or more years of service who is not under contract for the 2026 season qualifies as a "potential unrestricted free agent." Each expansion team can select only one such player, though they retain the option to designate that player as a core player—if eligible.
Because protected lists are not made public, this mock draft is based on projections. For a full breakdown of our protections for each team, click here.
Lastly, because only one player can be selected from each team per round, we'll focus on the top picks in each round.
1. Portland Fire: Ezi Magbegor, C
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From: Seattle Storm
Size: 6'4" | Age: 26
Stats: 8.0 PTS, 6.2 REB, 2.2 BLK
There's a chance Seattle protects Ezi Magbegor, but if it doesn't, she's easily the best player available for Portland at No. 1.
She is one of the best defenders in the WNBA at the most valuable position, making an All-Defensive team each of the last four seasons.
Even though Portland is likely years away from contention, she would still fit that age timeline. She already has six years of experience and won't turn 27 until August.
The Fire could build their defensive identity around her while still having some room to clean up her shot profile on offense. In 2025, Magbegor had a down year offensively, posting her lowest scoring average since 2021 on just 49.3 percent shooting from the field.
2. Toronto Tempo: Azurá Stevens, PF/C
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From: Los Angeles Sparks
Size: 6'6" | Age: 30
Stats: 12.8 PTS, 8.0 REB, 38.1% 3PT
One of the toughest decisions for any team in the process is whether Los Angeles should protect Azurá Stevens or Rae Burrell.
Stevens is the better player, but using three protection spots on bigs isn't ideal. Paying Dearica Hamby, Kelsey Plum and Stevens would eat up most of the cap and probably leave the team in financial purgatory.
That's not to say Stevens wouldn't bring real value to the Tempo. Players shooting 38.6 percent from three at her size with that kind of mobility are rare. She's also an instinctive cutter and an elite rebounder.
Toronto head coach Sandy Brondello has had success with stretch bigs such as Stevens and could implement a similar five-out offensive scheme, using many of the same actions she ran in New York.
3. Toronto Tempo: Nyara Sabally, C
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From: New York Liberty
Size: 6'5" | Age: 26
Stats: 5.4 PTS, 4.5 REB, 1.0 BLK
After playing a key role in New York's championship in 2024, it looked like Nyara Sabally was on the rise, but she played just 17 games last season due to a knee injury.
Her health has long been a question mark, but there aren't many players available with her level of upside.
Sabally is a smooth athlete for her size, with an intriguing blend of rim-running and rim protection. Stevens is more effective defending on the wing than at center, so the fit between them makes sense.
Brondello's familiarity with Sabally could also go a long way in prioritizing her in the draft.
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4. Portland Fire: Carla Leite, PG
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From: Golden State Valkyries
Size: 5'9" | Age: 21
Stats: 7.2 PTS, 2.0 AST, 38.7% FG
Golden State is likely to protect guards Veronica Burton and 2025 first-round pick Justė Jocytė, which would make it difficult for the Valkyries to also protect Carla Leite.
Leite is the best young prospect on our board, with great feel out of pick-and-roll and an explosive first step. She gets to the rim whenever she wants and is already one of the best foul-drawers in the sport, posting a 44.6 percent free-throw rate.
It all comes down to whether Leite can hit jumpers. She shot 21.4 percent on catch-and-shoot threes as a rookie, and is only 20.9 percent from three overseas.
Portland general manager Vanja Černivec was also involved in selecting Leite in last year's expansion draft when she was Golden State's vice president of basketball operations.
5. Portland Fire: Maya Caldwell, SG/SF
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From: Atlanta Dream
Size: 5'11" | Age: 27
Stats: 5.4 PTS, 3.1 REB, 42.6% FG
Maya Caldwell's off-ball shooting, cutting and perimeter defense make her a perfect plug-in-play wing for Portland.
After Rhyne Howard went down with a knee injury in July, Caldwell's role increased in Atlanta, and she didn't look back. Over the last 24 games of the season, she averaged 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds on 41.6 percent shooting from three.
Caldwell was a borderline top-50 player by the end of last year, and if that continues into 2026, she's a player worth selecting here.
Rest of 1st Round
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6. Toronto: Olivia Nelson-Ododa, C (from Connecticut)
Connecticut can only protect one of Marina Mabrey or Nelson-Ododa. If the latter is left unprotected, it's hard to imagine her being selected lower than this. She's a quality rotational big, averaging 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds last season.
7. Toronto: JJ Quinerly, PG/SG (from Dallas)
Dallas has several strong options for Toronto to consider, but the 23-year-old Quinerly stands out as the youngest of the group while bringing aggressive on-ball defense and solid shooting.
8. Portland: Dorka Juhász, C (from Minnesota)
Juhász has been excellent in the EuroLeague this season, shooting 36.6 percent from three: the highest mark of her pro career. This could also be a Maria Kliundikova landing spot, but we have the Lynx protecting the Russian center who flashed defensive upside in 2025.
9. Portland: Emily Engstler, PF (from Washington)
10. Toronto: Kristy Wallace, SG (Free Agent)
11. Toronto: Kierstan Bell, SF/PF (from Las Vegas)
12. Portland: Lexi Held, SG (from Phoenix)
13. Toronto Tempo: Isobel Borlase, SG/SF
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From: Atlanta Dream
Size: 5'11" | Age: 21
Stats (WNBL): 22.8 PTS, 6.7 REB, 4.0 AST
Isobel Borlase, Atlanta's No. 20 overall pick in 2024, was the best player in Australia this season, becoming the WNBL's youngest MVP winner since Liz Cambage in 2010-11.
Borlase is at her best with the ball in her hands. She's not the quickest player, but the way she uses angles as a driver is most impressive. Borlase has a counter for everything the defender presents, whether that's a hop step or eurostep to get to the rim, pulling up in the mid-range or creating for a teammate.
The biggest questions with her WNBA translation are her shooting and defense. Borlase has shot just 26.4 percent from three over the last two seasons and is likely a negative defender. Still, the production at her age is undeniable.
14. Portland Fire: María Conde, SF/PF
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From: Golden State Valkyries
Size: 6'1" | Age: 29
Stats (EuroLeague): 11.1 PTS, 5.9 AST, 4.3 REB
María Conde is the type of player every team could use: a 6'1" playmaking wing with the ability to handle the ball, make passes from anywhere on the court and defend at a solid level.
You might read that and wonder why she isn't listed higher, but it's unclear if she has strong WNBA interest, and she is already 29. Conde was drafted by Chicago in 2019 but has yet to appear in a WNBA game.
Her rights were acquired by Golden State in last year's expansion draft, though she sat out the 2025 season to recover from an Achilles injury. Conde has also previously said playing for the Spanish national team is her main priority.
15. Portland Fire: Raquel Carrera, PF/C
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From: New York Liberty
Size: 6'3" | Age: 24
Stats (EuroLeague): 10.2 PTS, 3.9 REB, 51.6% FG
Another Spanish player, Raquel Carrera, simply knows how to play. She has a high feel for the game on both ends, great touch around the rim and the ability to space the floor.
Carrera was selected No. 15 by Atlanta in 2021 before her draft rights were acquired by New York in 2022, though she has yet to report to the WNBA. She didn't join the Liberty last season, sitting out due to a personal decision.
Like Conde, if Carrera comes to the WNBA, there's a good chance she'll be a quality rotation player. She scored 15 points on 71.4 percent shooting against Team USA at the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament last month.
16. Toronto Tempo: Julie Allemand, PG
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From: Los Angeles Sparks
Size: 5'8" | Age: 29
Stats: 5.4 PTS, 5.0 AST, 44% FG
If the Tempo are looking for a steady veteran point guard who can get them in and out of their sets, that's Julie Allemand.
She started 27 of 34 games for Los Angeles last season, averaging five assists to under two turnovers. That's only been done 14 other times in WNBA history, according to HerHoopStats.
17. Toronto Tempo: Haley Jones, SF/PF
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From: Dallas Wings
Size: 6'1" | Age: 24
Stats: 7.3 PTS, 3.8 REB, 45.2% FG
In 2025, Haley Jones played her best basketball since her sophomore year at Stanford after shifting from a combo guard role into the frontcourt, where her quick processing and screening are actualized.
Now that she wasn't asked to break down defenders out of pick-and-roll as often, she took a major step as a two-point scorer with more play-finishing responsibilities—cutting, rolling and in transition.
Jones may not be the star she was once projected to be as an underclassman in college, but there's a chance she could stick around the league for five years (or more) as a unique role player.
Rest of 2nd Round
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18. Toronto: Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, PF (from Minnesota)
Kosu is purely a bet on upside for Toronto. She's only 20 years old with elite athleticism in every direction and was one of the best defenders in last year's draft. There's a high likelihood she's drafted to either expansion franchise.
19. Toronto: Chloe Bibby, SF (from Indiana)
Bibby shot 40.5 percent from three across 14 games with Indiana and Golden State last year. She may not be able to do anything else at a WNBA level, but there's certainly value in shooting.
20. Portland: Lucy Olsen, SG (from Washington)
Olsen has always been an outstanding mid-range scorer, though her ability to knock down catch-and-shoot threes will determine if she sticks in the league. This is a worthy late-round flier on a talented scoring guard.
21. Portland: Mamignan Touré, SG/SF (from Connecticut)
22. Toronto: Nika Muhl, PG (from Seattle) (Has since suffered a torn ACL)
23. Toronto: N/A
24. Portland: N/A
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