The WNBA’s roster of teams is set to majorly expand in the coming years, with the current number of 13 set to jump to 18 in a matter of years. New WNBA teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia have been announced in addition to the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, who are set to join in 2026.
Just like when the Golden State Valkyries became part of the league, an expansion draft with special rules is set to take place. However, both the Fire and Tempo do not seem to have an idea about when or how it will take place as the WNBA has stayed silent on the matter.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen. There are a lot of unknowns. It’s best to plan as if the negotiations are going to be done on time. So we’re planning for the expansion draft to go forward similar to last year, in December. Then free agency, probably February. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to pivot and be ready for the unknown,” Fire GM Vanja Černivec said at her introductory press conference on Tuesday.
Tempo President Teresa Resch also shared a similar sentiment when she talked to Front Office Sports.
“To say that it’s all planned and we have a run of show would be far from the truth, but that’s the life of sports,” she said.
The issue is tied directly to the ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the league and the players’ union, with the current CBA set to expire on October 31 and a new deal unlikely before then. The Valkyries expansion draft format allowed each of the 12 existing teams to protect up to six players, leaving the rest in a pool from which Golden State could select one per team.
However, with both teams yet to announce their head coaches for their inaugural season, the WNBA has not yet produced a set of rules for the two-team expansion draft.
