Editorial

The WNBA’s next two franchises, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, finally have a roster. 
Both squads participated in a two-round expansion draft on April 3, 2026, picking players from each team in the WNBA except for the Chicago Sky. The Sky, prior to the draft, traded its 17th overall pick to the Fire in exchange for the 21st overall pick, and to prevent the Fire from taking anyone from its team. 
Chicago also sent its 26th overall pick to the Tempo in exchange for Toronto not selecting anyone from its roster. 
That said, every other team was fair game for poaching. Let’s take a look at some of the key players added by both franchises, set to kick off their respective seasons in Season 30.
<hr />
<h2>Toronto Tempo roster:</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-258017" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_TORONTO_LISTv7-1.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="875" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_TORONTO_LISTv7-1.jpg 1080w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_TORONTO_LISTv7-1-240x300.jpg 240w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_TORONTO_LISTv7-1-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_TORONTO_LISTv7-1-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
A huge takeaway from this initial roster is that the Tempo wanted to take shooting and guard depth seriously. Marina Mabrey’s name obviously jumps off the page on that front, although she had a slump-year (27-percent 3PT shooting) with the Connecticut Sun in 2025. However, it’s clear the Tempo value her veteran presence and competitiveness, with Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers <a href="https://x.com/chelsealeite/status/2040162676702126322?s=20">telling reporters</a> following the expansion draft that Mabrey “&#8230;has something you can’t coach, a fierce, competitive nature. That will resonate with this city.”
Aaliyah Nye, who won a championship in her rookie season with the Las Vegas Aces last year, is another sharp-shooter that should be able to contribute immediately with head coach Sandy Brondello likely seeking to surround the teams’ bigs with as much shooting as possible. She averaged just 31.4 percent from three point range, but was coming off a season with the Alabama Crimson Tide where <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/aaliyah-nye-1.html">she shot</a> 41.8 percent from long range over four seasons. 
Other players of note from this initial roster include Nyara Sabally, a former member of Brondello’s New York Liberty team, and Julie Allemand, who had a nice bounceback season with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2025. 
Sabally has dealt with injury woes in recent years, but when she’s on the floor, she can make a huge impact on the glass. Her contributions to the Liberty’s championship run, and especially in its Finals against the Minnesota Lynx, couldn’t be ignored by Brondello or the Tempo. She averaged 5.4 points per game along with 4.5 rebounds and one block in 17 games played. 
As for Allemand, she’s a Belgian star set to gain another year with major minutes with the Tempo. Her work as a distributor for Los Angeles clearly didn’t go unnoticed by the Tempo’s scouting team, and she’s a great compliment to players like Sabally, Mabrey, and María Conde (assuming the Spanish forward comes over to the WNBA this season). With the Sparks in 2025, she averaged just 5.4 points per game but a solid five assists in 28.3 minutes per game. 
One thing that could really tie this initial roster together is the team honing in on a big in this year’s college draft. The Tempo are selecting 6th overall in this year’s draft, while the Fire select 7th since they picked first in the expansion draft. That could give them a shot at a player like Lauren Betts, who would be an unbelievably great fit with a roster chock-full of great facilitators. 
A worthwhile nugget to mention regarding this initial roster: according to the Tempo’s press release on these selections, the team has taken seven international players, which the <a href="https://tempo.wnba.com/news/toronto-tempo-select-11-players-in-2026-tempo-expansion-draft">team says</a>, “brings a blend of championship experience, international competition at the highest level, and positional versatility as the Tempo begin building their identity in the WNBA.”
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<h2>Portland Fire roster:</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-258016" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_PORTLAND_LIST.png" alt="" width="700" height="875" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_PORTLAND_LIST.png 1080w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_PORTLAND_LIST-240x300.png 240w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_PORTLAND_LIST-819x1024.png 819w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/Expansion-Draft-Results-4x5_PORTLAND_LIST-768x960.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /> 
Bridget Carleton, the former Minnesota Lynx forward, was the Fire’s first overall pick and its selection from a list of available unrestricted free agents available in this expansion draft. Each team was allowed to select one UFA, with Mabrey being the Tempo’s pick from that pool. 
Carleton, who was an integral part of Minnesota’s offense from the three point line and as a defender in the paint, could’ve been a fitting addition to Toronto’s roster considering she’s an Ontario native. But, the veteran lands with Portland, providing immediate starting power in the Fire’s frontcourt. She averaged 6.5 points per game along with 3.6 rebounds and two assists, and shot a clean 37.3 percent from three-point range. 
A somewhat surprising name on this draft list is Carla Leite. The former Golden State Valkyries guard had become a fan-favorite in her rookie season with the squad, averaging 7.2 points per game along with two assists and 1.3 rebounds, providing a pop defensively whenever she was on the floor. Her pick-and-roll proficiency made her a huge asset to the Valkyries offense, and especially their bigs. Her not being protected by Golden State could be Portland’s gain. 
With Carleton in the fold in addition to Emily Engstler and Haley Jones, Leite could emerge as one of next season’s best floor generals if utilized correctly. 
Two underrated picks for Portland are Sarah Ashlee Barker and Maya Caldwell. Caldwell, who spent last year with the Atlanta Dream, is a solid three-point shooter and a great cutter to pair with guards like Sug Sutton and Leite who are more focused on facilitating. 
Her addition to this team brings shooting and rim pressure, taking some of that load off the shoulders of the teams’ talented bigs. She averaged 5.4 points per game in addition to 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and almost one steal in 18.5 minutes per game. 
As for Barker, and similarly to Nye with the Tempo, she has an opportunity to show off her strengths with potentially larger minutes with the Fire. The former Sparks guard got plenty of opportunities to flex her defensive skills in 2025, and she was also a decent scorer for stretches.
However, it was always going to be tough to find her a role behind Kelsey Plum and Allemand. She averaged just 3.1 points per game along with 1.9 rebounds and almost one assist, although she only averaged 14.1 minutes per game as a rookie. 
This Fire roster is emphasizing depth at the forward position, as well as guards who can bring out the best in those front court pieces. Portland general manager Vanja Černivec told reporters following the draft that the team prioritized “great teammates who will help us recruit players in free agency.” 
 
“We want to play team-oriented basketball,” she added. 
Carleton, Leite, Caldwell, and Sutton all fit that bill right off the bat. We’ll see if Černivec’s focus on team &#8211; and fan &#8211; favorites with talent to boot works as they look ahead to the college draft and a tumultuous free agency period.

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Haley Jones

Accolades
<ul>
<li>2023 AP Rookie Team of the Year</li>
</ul>
2024 Season with the Dream:
<ul>
<li>Played all 40 games for the Dream in 2024, averaging 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. </li>
<li>Reached double digits in scoring for the sixth time this season against Chicago (7/10), with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists.</li>
<li>Recorded a new season high in points with 16 against Dallas (7/5), in addition to four assists and one rebound.</li>
<li>Set a season high in rebounding against New York (6/23) with eight.</li>
<li>Led the team in assists (5) against Phoenix (5/18) and Minnesota (5/26) and Washington (5/29).</li>
<li>Scored 14 points and dished out 4 assists in the Dream’s win against the Sparks (5/15).</li>
</ul>
2023 Highlights with the Dream  
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="13" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;●&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="11" data-aria-level="1">Played in All 40 Games with the Dream in her year with the Dream, starting in 6. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="13" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;●&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Jones joined Angel McCoughty as the only other Dream rookie in history to record 10+ points, 3+ rebounds, 2+ assists and 2+ stocks  in under 20 minutes against Chicago (5/30).  </li>
<li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="13" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;●&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Record a season-high 9 assists in the Dream’s 4 point overtime victory against the Sun (6/15) </li>
<li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="13" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;●&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Played 37 minutes and played a pivotal role in the Dream’s victory against New York  (6/13), scoring 13 points and recording a season-high 9 rebounds.  </li>
<li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="13" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;●&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">In her breakout game, Jones scored 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assist, a block and a steal in her 19 minutes against Chicago (5/30).  </li>
<li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="13" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;●&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Scored a career-best 23 points &#8212; including a perfect 6-for-6 at the stripe &#8212; while grabbing six rebounds and dishing 5 assists against Las Vegas (8/22). </li>
</ul>
COLLEGE 
<ul>
<li>NCAA champion (2021)</li>
<li>Three-time Pac-12 champion (2021-23)</li>
<li>Two-time Pac-12 Tournament champion (2021-22)</li>
<li>WBCA All-America (2022)</li>
<li>Three-time Associated Press All-America (2021-23)</li>
<li>Three-time USBWA All-America (2021-22)</li>
<li>Naismith Trophy Finalist (2022)</li>
<li>Three-time Cheryl Miller Award Finalist (2021-23)</li>
<li>Pac-12 Player of the Year &#8211; Coaches (2022)</li>
<li>Three-time All-Pac-12 &#8211; Coaches and Media (2021-23)</li>
<li>Two-time NCAA Tournament Final Four All-Tournament Team (2021-22)</li>
<li>NCAA Tournament Spokane Region Most Outstanding Player (2022)</li>
<li>Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2022)</li>
<li>NCAA Tournament Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2021)</li>
<li>Four-time Pac-12 Player of the Week (Dec. 7, 2020; Dec. 20, 2021; Jan. 3, 2022; Jan. 23, 2023)</li>
</ul>

Haley Jones signed a Contract with the Portland Fire.

The Portland Fire extended a Reserved qualifying offer to Haley Jones.

Haley Jones was drafted in the 2027 Expansion Draft by the Portland Fire.

Haley Jones signed a Rest-of-Season Contract with the Dallas Wings.

Inks one-year deal with Portland

Gets reserved qualifying offer

Drafted by Fire

Scores six in victory

Available vs. Golden State

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