Fire make Bridget Carleton top WNBA expansion draft pick

Key Points:

• Bridget Carleton, an unrestricted free agent from the Minnesota Lynx, was selected as the No. 1 pick by the Portland Fire in the 2026 WNBA expansion draft, with Portland targeting her early to prevent Toronto from selecting her.
• Both the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo prioritized veteran role players in the draft to build experienced foundations for their inaugural rosters, with Portland also selecting players like Maya Caldwell and Emily Engstler, while Toronto picked Marina Mabrey and Nyara Sabally.
• Portland reunited Carla Leite with GM Vanja Cernivec, who previously helped bring Leite to the Golden State Valkyries, and also selected Haley Jones and Nika Muhl, the latter recovering from consecutive ACL injuries but having a close relationship with Cernivec.
• Toronto secured strong contributors such as Lexi Held, a proficient 3-point shooter from the Phoenix Mercury, and made strategic trades with the Chicago Sky to exchange expansion draft picks for collegiate draft selections.
• The WNBA offseason awaits the start of free agency, delayed due to the unsigned long-form collective bargaining agreement, with hopes for completion soon; meanwhile, the collegiate draft is scheduled for April 13 and training camp for April 19.