The WNBA Board of Governors unanimously approves a new CBA, hinting at a green light for the new season. The league intends to start the season on May 8, and for that, the league will have to wrap up three major processes within a month. First of which will be the expansion draft, which will start on April 3.
While there are two new teams joining the league in 2026, there is more chaos than just the number of picks. The free agency market and expansion drafts make the franchises’ decisions difficult, especially with little time remaining for the next processes.
WNBA Expansion Draft Creates Chaos In Roster Management
With the CBA situation, the WNBA has more than 100 free agents up for grabs, and nearly 75 of them are unrestricted free agents. Teams can protect these players only by assigning them protected player status, but, per the rules, each franchise can protect a maximum of five players in the expansion draft, making the choice difficult for teams.
If either expansion team selects a player who is not already under contract for the 2026 season, they will receive whatever rights to that player the existing team had. Also, Toronto and Portland can only select one player each from the list of “Potential Unrestricted Free Agents.”
The WNBA Expansion Draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will be held on April 3, the league announced. The draft will include:
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 25, 2026
– A coin toss between Toronto and Portland where the winner chooses either first overall in Expansion Draft or sixth overall in WNBA Draft;… pic.twitter.com/ZG3XbueufV
The WNBA describes these players as, “Any player who has completed the playing services called for by her [previous] player contract and has five or more years of service as of the end of the 2025 season must be designated on the Roster List as a ‘Potential Unrestricted Free Agent.’”
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While the Golden State Valkyries didn’t have this option, the 2026 expansion draft will give the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire a chance to land top-quality players, possibly a core piece of other franchises. Moreover, they can offer the player a supermax contract, becoming the only team to do so.
The players can technically still sign anywhere, but the expansion team is the only team with the option to offer them a supermax contract. With two teams selecting in the expansion draft, the order will be decided on a coin toss. And the results are out with the recent development.
Portland Fire To Select First In The WNBA Expansion Draft
The WNBA decides the order of the expansion draft with a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss makes the decision for the expansion draft pick and will have a higher selection in the WNBA draft, too.
As per the current update, the Toronto Tempo won the toss and selected to choose second in the expansion draft, landing the sixth overall pick in the talent pool of the 2026 draft class.
Choosing second, always in command.
— Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) March 27, 2026
After the coin toss, we have the second overall pick in the 2026 Tempo Expansion Draft.
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Interestingly, LSU megastar Flau’jae Johnson expressed her desire to play for the Toronto Tempo under coach Sandy Brondello, and the player could get her wish with the Tempo team picking at the sixth position.