The WNBA 2026 season is finally shaping up, with expansion teams finally getting their roster members via the expansion draft. The Portland Fire had first pick in the expansion draft and also the last pick. Throughout the 12 rounds, both sides selected 11 players each, letting off the Sky franchise selection following the trade before the expansion draft.
As for the Portlanders, their first pick was Lynx veteran Bridget Carleton, while the final pick, Nika Muhl, surprised everyone.
Portland Fire Selects Nika Muhl As Final Pick
The expansion draft allowed new entrants a chance to have some experienced players on the roster, and they will add some more in free agency. Given a chance to select the ‘unprotected’ players, the Portland Fire chose Nika Muhl from the Seattle Storm.
The 14th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft played in 16 games across two seasons due to injuries and averaged under three minutes per game when active on the floor.
With our final pick in the WNBA Expansion Draft, we’ve selected Nika Mühl from the Seattle Storm pic.twitter.com/kXNPoRHk1x
— Portland Fire (@theportlandfire) April 3, 2026
Interestingly, the player is injured at the moment and would miss the entire 2026 season. Playing for Croatia in the EuroBasket competition, Muhl tore her right ACL on March 11. She underwent surgery on April 1st.
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Playing for the storied UConn Huskies Program, Muhl won Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and earned All-Big East recognition for three straight seasons. While she is a widely defensive-minded guard, she is a great passer and even scores occasional three-pointers.
While the Fire’s franchise option to select an injured player was confusing, the team cautiously chose many ‘untapped’ stars from other franchises, keeping everyone guessing about its approach.
Portland Fire Choses Raw Talent Over All-Stars
The Portland Fire chose Alex Sarama as its head coach well before the start of 2026. Fans kept searching for information on the former Cleveland Cavalier assistant coach, and the Fire chose a similar approach with its player selections.
A new chapter in Portland 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4FS6Ipmqzm
— Portland Fire (@theportlandfire) April 3, 2026
Between Bridget Carleton and Muhl, the Fire team selections include Carla Leite, Luisa Geiselsöder, Emily Engstler, Haley Jones, Sarah Ashlee Barker, and Nyadiew Puoch. All these players are young, less than 25, and have had minimal chances with their respective teams. It’s clear that the franchise is looking to unearth the talent that was there in the WNBA and will be hungry to prove themselves after missing out on a chance with their first franchises.