The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo officially began constructing their inaugural rosters during Friday's WNBA expansion draft, each selecting 11 players from a pool left unprotected by the league's 13 existing franchises. Both expansion teams aspire to achieve success akin to that of the Golden State Valkyries in their first season last year. General Managers Vanja Černivec of Portland and Monica Wright Rogers of Toronto expressed relief after months of waiting for the new collective bargaining agreement to be finalized. The front offices had diligently run internal scenarios during the offseason, predicting protected players and potential picks from the opposing expansion franchise. Additionally, each franchise was allowed to select one unrestricted free agent.

A coin flip last week determined the initial draft order, with Toronto opting to give Portland the first pick in the expansion draft, thereby securing the higher pick in the college draft on April 13. Both teams chose to leave one of their 12 roster spots open for the college draft. Portland utilized its first pick to select Bridget Carleton, a forward from the Minnesota Lynx, while Toronto followed by taking guard Julie Allemand at No. 2. The draft revealed three significant trends in the teams' strategies: an emphasis on drafting veteran players, future foundational performers, and, notably, high-upside players whose careers have been significantly impacted by injuries.

Portland Fire's Strategic Selections

For their veteran presence, the Fire secured Bridget Carleton (F, Minnesota Lynx). Portland specifically used its unrestricted free agent pick on Carleton and selected her with the first overall pick to prevent Toronto from acquiring the Ontario native. After five years coming off the bench, Carleton moved into Minnesota's starting lineup in 2024, where she averaged a career-high 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, shooting 44.4% from three-point range on 5.3 attempts, contributing to the Lynx reaching the 2024 WNBA Finals. Last year, she maintained averages of 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.8 steals as a starter. A consistent 37.3% three-point shooter, the 6-foot-2 forward provides floor spacing and interior size. The Fire envision Carleton modeling her role after Kayla Thornton's initial impact for Golden State as a veteran leader on and off the court, while continuing to develop her game. Černivec believes that outside of her Minnesota environment, Carleton could become an All-Star player, bringing invaluable experience to her less seasoned teammates.

Carla Leite (G, Golden State Valkyries) was chosen as Portland's future foundational player, marking a reunion for the second-year guard with Černivec, who had previously drafted Leite to the Valkyries. Drafted ninth by the Dallas Wings eight months prior, Leite spent a summer playing in Europe before seamlessly integrating into the Valkyries' international-player-heavy system. She quickly established herself in the rotation, averaging 7.2 points and 2.0 assists as a backup. Černivec praises Leite's