The Portland Fire were one of the biggest surprises of the season. Unlike the Toronto Tempo, they hired a first-time head coach and leaned heavily into selecting young players in the expansion draft. Alex Sarama managed to build a strong identity in his first season, and the Fire won more games than the Phoenix Mercury, Chicago Sky, and Los Angeles Sparks—three teams that were supposed to compete for playoff spots. While they didn’t quite replicate the Golden State Valkyries’ success, they have a lot to be proud of.
The Fire didn’t just beat rebuilding teams on their way to 17 wins either. They took down the New York Liberty in their second game of the season and then once again later in May. They also beat the Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Atlanta Dream, and Washington Mystics, and closed out their season with a big overtime win against the Golden State Valkyries.
Halfway through the first quarter, the Fire were down 13-0. But, led by big games from Bridget Carleton and Carla Leite, they turned things around, forced overtime, and secured a 90-82 win against the No. 2 seed. It was arguably the team’s best win of the season.
They could not have ended their first season in a better way once they were eliminated from the playoffs. It sets a great tone for what’s to come.
Portland is set up well for the future
The Portland Fire may not be a championship contender by their second season, but they have a solid foundation to build around. Bridget Carleton and Megan DiLeo are still under contract and can return as veteran leaders on and off the court. Moreover, Emily Engstler is a restricted free agent and Frieda Bühner will be a reserved free agent. So, they should be back, too.
Most importantly, Carla Leite is under contract for one more season and has a team option for the 2028 season. She is a young rising star they can comfortably build around. On top of that, Iyana Martin, their first-round pick in this year’s draft, showed out at the FIBA World Cup and looks ready to take the WNBA by storm next year. She and Leite could be a fascinating guard combination either playing next to each other or with Martin coming off the bench in her first season.
The Fire also have solid lottery odds in next year’s draft and will be able to add another great young talent.
Add us as a preferred source on Google