Overview
- Portland and Toronto filled inaugural rosters in a two-round expansion draft Friday, with the Fire taking Bridget Carleton first and the Tempo adding Julie Allemand and Marina Mabrey among 11 picks each.
- Under new CBA rules, existing teams protected five players, selections followed a snake format across two rounds, no team lost more than one player per round, and each expansion club could take only one impending unrestricted free agent.
- Chicago avoided any losses after trades announced earlier in the week sent collegiate draft picks to Portland and Toronto in exchange for skipping Sky players.
- Carleton and Mabrey were selected as potential unrestricted free agents, which gives their new teams negotiating rights while the players can still choose not to sign until free agency formally opens once the CBA’s long-form is signed.
- Next up is a compressed stretch with free agency pending, the rookie draft on April 13 after Toronto chose the No. 6 slot in last week’s coin flip, training camps opening April 19, and the season tipping May 8.