2026 WNBA expansion draft: Predicting each team's 5 protections
· Yahoo Sports
Next Friday's 2026 WNBA expansion draft will send new players to the incoming Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. The draft order is set, and existing WNBA teams can now protect up to five players ahead of time.
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How will the draft work? In essence, the Fire will draft first and the Tempo will draft second in a snake-style draft, picking from the available pool of unprotected players.
The new teams can choose from any unprotected players on any WNBA roster but can only draft one impending free agent each. That means the Tempo and Fire will largely choose from players who are rostered on rookie deals or are restricted free agents or exclusive rights free agents.
Who will the various teams in the WNBA protect? We've gone through and predicted the five protections for each team ahead of next week's big expansion draft.
Atlanta Dream
Expected Protections: G Jordin Canada (UFA), G Allisha Gray (UFA), G Rhyne Howard (RFA), G Te-Hina Paopao (rostered), F Naz Hillmon (RFA)
The Dream can't afford to leave free agents like Gray and Canada available in the expansion draft, so they both get protections along with non-UFA keeps like Howard, Hillmon and Paopao.
Chicago Sky
Expected protections: C Kamilla Cardoso (rostered), F Angel Reese (rostered), G Hailey Van Lith (rostered), F Maddy Westbeld (rostered), G Sevgi Uzun (ERFA)
Chicago's protections aren't a shock; they keep all five of their non-unrestricted players around for 2026 (for now).
Connecticut Sun
Expected protections: G Marina Mabrey (UFA), F Aaliyah Edwards (rostered), F Aneesah Morrow (rostered), G Saniya Rivers (rostered), G Leila Lacan (rostered)
The Sun are an interesting team to watch. Whether or not they protect Mabrey will be the key, as we're just not sure if the team would prioritize making her exempt in the hope of signing her to an extension. Perhaps Connecticut would rather keep forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa and allow Mabrey to be unprotected.
Dallas Wings
Expected protections: G Arike Ogunbowale (UFA), G Paige Bueckers (rostered), F Maddy Siegrist (rostered), G Aziaha James (rostered), G JJ Quinerly (rostered)
Dallas could opt to leave Ogunbowale unprotected, making her a very intriguing pickup for either Portland or Toronto. However, we'll guess the Wings will protect her along with four of the team's brightest young players in Bueckers (duh), Siegrist, James and Quinerly. We'll guess they hold on to Ogunbowale just in case they want to work out an extension. However, don't be shocked if she's the biggest player available if unprotected by Dallas.
Golden State Valkyries
Expected protections: F Kayla Thornton (UFA), F Janelle Salaun (ERFA), C Iliana Rupert (ERFA), G Veronica Burton (RFA), G Carla Leite (rostered)
Golden State has no great options, as the 2025 expansion team may lose two key players just because they can only protect so many of their recent additions. Why the Valkyries weren't exempt from this process is a real question.
Indiana Fever
Expected protections: G Caitlin Clark (rostered), G Kelsey Mitchell (UFA), F Aliyah Boston (rostered), F Makayla Timpson (rostered), G Lexie Hull (RFA)
The Fever will, of course, protect its best players like Clark, Boston and Mitchell. Keeping Hull and Timpson around also makes a lot of sense as Indiana tries to build a contender. We imagine Indiana won't lose any of its pending free agents that aren't protected, either. Forward Chloe Bibby will be the team's biggest draw for an expansion team.
Las Vegas Aces
Expected protections: C A'ja Wilson (UFA), G Jackie Young (UFA), G Chelsea Gray (UFA), F NaLyssa Smith (rostered), G Dana Evans (rostered)
Here's one of your big splashes. The Aces can't keep everyone, and Wilson, Young and Gray are just too good together to split that trio up. Smith is a given to be kept after the team traded a first-round pick for her last year, too. We will take a risky guess here and bet that Vegas wants to keep Evans, its playoffs hero, in the fold for the long haul over veteran guard Jewel Lloyd, who only played a year with the Aces after her trade from the Seattle Storm.
Los Angeles Sparks
Expected protections: F Cameron Brink (rostered), F Rickea Jackson (rostered), G Kelsey Plum (UFA), F Dearica Hamby (UFA), F Rae Burrell (UFA)
The Sparks keeping Brink, Jackson, Plum and Hamby protected is no big shock. Leaving forward Azurá Stevens available to keep Burrell safe might surprise some. Burrell has a higher ceiling at this point in her career, and she should come at a lesser contract than Stevens after the latter's breakout season.
Minnesota Lynx
Expected protections: F Napheesa Collier (UFA), G Kayla McBride (UFA), G Courtney Williams (UFA), F Alanna Smith (UFA), F Jessica Shepard (UFA)
The first four of five protected are givens, but you could change out some of Minnesota's other vets with guard DiJonai Carrington here.
New York Liberty
Expected protections: G Sabrina Ionescu (UFA), G Natasha Cloud (UFA), F Jonquel Jones (UFA), F Breanna Stewart (UFA), F Leonie Fiebich (rostered)
The Liberty protect their best four players and the young Fiebich, who still has lots of potential.
Phoenix Mercury
Expected protections: G Kahleah Copper (UFA), F Satou Sabally (UFA), F Alyssa Thomas (UFA), G Monique Akoa-Makani (ERFA), F Lexi Held (ERFA)
The Mercury protect its most important pending free agents and two young players who we're guessing the team won't want to lose in Akoa-Makini and Held.
Seattle Storm
Expected protections: G Brittney Sykes (UFA), G Skylar Diggins-Smith (UFA), C Dominique Malonga (rostered), F Gabby Williams (UFA), F Nneka Ogwumike (UFA)
Seattle keeps its four best veterans and its rising star protected; no big surprises here.
Washington Mystics
Expected protections: G Jacy Sheldon (rostered), F Kiki Iriafen (rostered), G Sonia Citron (rostered), G Georgia Amoore (rostered), C Shakira Austin (RFA)
Washington has a lot of young talent it will want to keep protected, which means some of the other young players on the roster will be left unprotected.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2026 WNBA expansion draft: Predicting each team's 5 protections