With the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire set to join the league in 2026, both franchises are still waiting for the most important details of their launch: the expansion-draft rules. Last year, the Golden State Valkyries operated under a clear system where teams protected six players and Golden State selected one unprotected player from each roster. But Toronto and Portland don’t even know whether that format will be repeated — or whether the new CBA will overhaul the entire structure.

Because expansion rules must be negotiated into the new CBA, the league has held off on giving teams any direction. Tempo president Teresa Resch said the league has not indicated anything about how the draft will work, and Portland is in the same position. With a massive free-agent class and a proposed tripling of the salary cap, the decisions teams make on who to protect could shift dramatically depending on the final financial landscape.

Right now, both expansion teams are preparing with incomplete information. They can sign free agents, and they’ll have either the sixth or seventh pick in the 2026 draft, but without knowing what types of veterans or role players might be made available, they cannot map out roster construction or even define what archetypes they should target.

So the league faces a real question as it finalizes the CBA: should the WNBA adopt a more flexible protection system? Increase the number of players expansion teams can draft? Limit how many stars teams can shield? Or introduce mechanisms that encourage competitive balance for new franchises?

What changes do you think the WNBA should make to ensure Toronto and Portland get a fair and functional expansion draft?