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.
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<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.

rapid-reactions-expansion-draft-2026

Rapid Reactions: WNBA Expansion Draft 2026

The WNBA’s new expansion team, the Tempo, has made one thing clear: They aren’t just Toronto’s team, they’re Canada’s team. A new era of women’s basketball across the northern border is set to tip off its inaugural season on May 8 against the Washington Mystics. And with the Tempo ushering in fresh WNBA fans, it feels ideal to remind everyone of the long line of Canadians who have hooped in the league since its early years. 
We know hockey runs through the country’s veins, but women’s pro hoops have entered the chat. Players like Kia Nurse, Bridget Carleton, Laeticia Amihere, and Aaliyah Edwards are actively repping their home turf in the WNBA. But get to know the Canucks who paved the way. 
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<h2 style="text-align: center">Kelly Boucher (Sudbury, ON)</h2>
<div id="attachment_257970" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-257970" class="wp-image-257970" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1367205-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="755" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1367205-scaled.jpg 1695w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1367205-199x300.jpg 199w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1367205-678x1024.jpg 678w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1367205-768x1160.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1367205-1017x1536.jpg 1017w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1367205-1356x2048.jpg 1356w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />Kelly Boucher #13 of Canada cheers on the sideline during the game against France at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics</div>
In the WNBA’s inaugural season, 15 international players dotted rosters around the league, but it wasn’t until the following season in 1998 that the first Canadian suited up. Boucher signed with the Charlotte Sting after a week-long open tryout. She bested over 350 WNBA hopefuls, through what she described as “the most intense, chaotic, grueling, difficult experience.” 
Her dream of playing pro hoops close to home became a reality. In a <a href="https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/05/14/meet-kelly-boucher-the-canadian-who-broke-the-wnba-barrier/">2021 interview</a>, Boucher recalls having visa issues because it was so unheard of for Canadians to go to the States to play hoops. “They didn’t even know what category of visa to give us,” she said then.
Boucher had competed in two Olympics for Canada and a World Championship, but in her lone WNBA season, she grew accustomed to playing in front of a roaring crowd of 25,000 at the Charlotte Coliseum. Playing in Madison Square Garden, though, was her “pinch-me” moment. “That was a highlight…you walk in there, and you can just smell the history,” she reminisced. “Patrick Ewing was there, chatting with him on the side, taking pictures with people. You’re supposed to be warming up, of course…but you just look around, and I think, ‘We’re playing in Madison Square Garden.’”
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<h2 style="text-align: center">Tammy Sutton-Brown (Markham, ON)</h2>
<div id="attachment_257971" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-257971" class="wp-image-257971" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-599384-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="771" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-599384-scaled.jpg 1661w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-599384-195x300.jpg 195w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-599384-664x1024.jpg 664w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-599384-768x1184.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-599384-997x1536.jpg 997w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-599384-1329x2048.jpg 1329w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />Tammy Sutton-Brown #55 of the Charlotte Sting looking to pass the ball against the New York Liberty</div>
Twelve years, two All-Star selections, a WNBA championship — Sutton-Brown’s 388 games played are the most by a Canadian to date. 
The Markham, Ontario native decided to come to the States first to play under iconic coach C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers in 1997. As a freshman, she led the Scarlet Knights in field goal percentage and blocks. As a junior, she led them to their first-ever Final Four appearance. It was clear that her efficiency at the rim was going to translate to the league. She was then drafted as the 18th pick to the Charlotte Sting in 2001.
The six-foot-four Sutton-Brown received her first All-Star nod after averaging 11.9 points and 6 rebounds in only her second season with the Sting. She was the first Canadian to be named to an All-Star team. Once the Sting folded in 2006, she was signed as a free agent by the Indiana Fever, earning her second All-Star spot that same year. She became a key member of the Fever alongside Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas, and was the starting center for the 2012 championship team. Sutton-Brown is fifth in franchise history in total rebounds, and her<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/teams/IND/players.html"> 267 franchise blocks</a> rank behind only Catchings.
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<h2 style="text-align: center">Stacey Dales (Collingwood, ON)</h2>
<div id="attachment_257972" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-257972" class="wp-image-257972" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-730660-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="762" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-730660-scaled.jpg 1680w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-730660-197x300.jpg 197w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-730660-672x1024.jpg 672w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-730660-768x1170.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-730660-1008x1536.jpg 1008w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-730660-1344x2048.jpg 1344w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />Stacey Dales-Schuman #21 of the Washington Mystics looks to pass during the game against the Indiana Fever</div>
The six-foot sharpshooter is the highest Canadian to be drafted to the WNBA at third overall in 2002—just behind Sue Bird and Swin Cash. Dales was coming off a stellar college career. She had two All-American seasons at Oklahoma and was a two-time Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. In her senior season, her 17 points per-game led the Sooners to their one and only National Championship game. 
In Dales’ rookie season with the Washington Mystics, she made an immediate impact, starting 28 of 31 games. She was second on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and even earned an All-Star spot. She played five seasons in the league and officially retired in 2007 after two seasons with the Chicago Sky. 
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<h2 style="text-align: center">Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, ON)</h2>
<div id="attachment_257973" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-257973" class="wp-image-257973" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1427576372-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="750" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1427576372-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1427576372-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1427576372-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1427576372-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1427576372-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-1427576372-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />Natalie Achonwa of Canada shoots during the 2022 FIBA Women&#8217;s Basketball World Cup Group B match between Australia and Canada</div>
Before dominating the paint in the WNBA, Achonwa made history in college and on the world stage. At 16, she became the youngest player ever to play for the Canadian national team in 2009. Then, she was the first international player to suit up for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish; in her tenure there from 2010 to 2014, she made four Final Fours and three title games. 
In 2014, Achonwa was drafted ninth overall by the Indiana Fever and was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team. The six-foot-three power forward played 8 total seasons with both the Fever and Minnesota Lynx.
Achonwa appeared in her fourth Olympic Games for Team Canada in 2024, the most by a Canadian basketball player ever.  
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<h2 style="text-align: center">Kayla Alexander (Milton, ON) </h2>
<div id="attachment_257975" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-257975" class="wp-image-257975" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-450516148-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="753" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-450516148-scaled.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-450516148-199x300.jpg 199w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-450516148-680x1024.jpg 680w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-450516148-768x1156.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-450516148-1020x1536.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/04/GettyImages-450516148-1360x2048.jpg 1360w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />Kayla Alexander #40 of the San Antonio Stars attempts a free throw against the Phoenix Mercury</div>
When the San Antonio Silver Stars drafted Alexander with their 8th pick in 2013, they knew they were getting an athletic big who was a force at the rim on both ends of the court. Alexander hailed from Syracuse University and completed her collegiate career as one of the best ever to don the Orange. When she left, she was the all-time leader in points, blocks, field goals, free throws made, free throws attempted, and games played.
She played five of her eight seasons in San Antonio, with stops in Indiana, Chicago, and Minnesota.  Even after back-to-back knee surgeries in 2018 and 2019, she didn’t give up on her WNBA or Olympic dreams. “I feel like sports are a great setup for life,” she <a href="https://www.syracuse.com/orangewomen/2021/07/perseverance-pays-off-former-syracuse-player-kayla-alexander-to-represent-canada-in-olympics.html?outputType=amp">said</a>. “Life isn’t perfect. Things aren’t always going to go according to your plan, but you have to find the ways to persevere and push through and find the positive in everything, or try to.” She went on to compete for Team Canada at the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games. 
Jordan Robinson is a freelance journalist, author, host, analyst, and content creator based in Los Angeles, CA and writes columns on <a href="http://wnba.com/">WNBA.com</a> throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.

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Before Toronto, These Canadians Made Their Mark on the WNBA

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