The WNBA expansion draft is Friday. Here’s how it works
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Two teams will make their debut in the 2026 season as the WNBA expands to 15 teams and into Portland and Toronto. The league’s expansion draft on Friday will determine part of the new franchises' make-ups and who will be leaving the rosters of existing teams.
By last Sunday, teams had to lock in who they would be protecting. Last year, the WNBA grew by only one team, the Golden State Valkyries. Teams could protect six players each.
This year, they can only protect five, and Minnesota has the potential to lose up to two players.
In each of the two rounds of the expansion draft, both Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo can select six unprotected players. Per round, only one player from each existing franchise can be picked.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Portland will select first in the first round, and Toronto will go first in the second round. They don’t have to use all 12 spots if they plan to sign free agents and college draft picks.
In the WNBA draft on April 13, the Toronto Tempo will pick sixth after winning the coin toss and selecting both a higher draft pick and to go second in the expansion draft Friday. This gives Portland the seventh spot in the WNBA draft.
Another factor of this expansion draft is that several veteran Lynx players became unrestricted free agents. This includes last year’s starters Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton, Natisha Hiedeman, DiJonai Carrington and Jessica Shepard, all of whom became staples in the Lynx’s rotation.
When it comes to unprotected free agents, one option for Toronto and Portland is to use one of their dozen selections to pick up an out-of-contract player who has five or more years of league experience — they can only do this once. For the Lynx, that includes all their newly free agents.
A team’s roster for the expansion draft will only include players on the team’s active, suspended, draft list/reserved, core and retired lists.
Other players who will be named on the Lynx’s roster are Dorka Juhász, Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, Maria Kliundikova, Jaylyn Sherrod, Camryn Taylor, Maia Hirsch and Aubrey Griffin.
What else is at stake
The 2025 season saw the creation of a viral Twitch stream “StudBudz” created by Williams and Hiedeman. It stole the hearts of fans across the league for becoming a celebration of players’ identities, humor and personalities. The two refer to each other as “twin,” streaming multiple times a week during its height.
Depending on who the Lynx protects, the duo could be separated. The team’s starters, who have meshed after years, could also be forced to say goodbye.
The 2025 season ended abruptly after the Lynx were bounced out of the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinals. Intense games at the end left Collier out of Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league started up by her and Breanna Stewart, after surgery on both ankles and recovery that spanned months.
At the end of last season, McBride fought back tears as she spoke about that being the last time that exact team would be together.
“I wouldn’t trade that locker room for anything. I would feel like this 100 times over to be with the people I’ve been with,” McBride said in a post-game press conference. “That’s why it’s painful, because you just want it to keep going. But it’s done.”
In the off-season, the players union and WNBA officials reached a new collective bargaining agreement, which paves the way for higher salaries and higher standards for treatment and facilities.
The expansion draft will be Friday, April 3 at 2:30 p.m. The college draft is Monday, April 13. As of now, the Lynx will pick second.
