The 2026 WNBA season isn't exactly guaranteed at this point, but odds are both the league and the players will come to an agreement on new CBA terms before things are set to begin in May. Assuming so, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire will hold an Expansion Draft — just like the Golden State Valkyries did last year — and will begin to put their first rosters together.
While some teams (such as the Valkyries, who surprised nearly everyone by having an incredibly powerful and successful 2025 season) could well be devastated by the draft, the Connecticut Sun are likely to walk away from it relatively unscathed.
It's been assumed that each existing WNBA team will be allowed to protect five players from the draft, a shift from last year when they could protect six.
When it comes to protecting players, the Sun have four on rookie contracts who are locks: Aaliyah Edwards, Leila Lacan, Aneesah Morrow, and Saniya Rivers. The team drafted all four during the first round of their respective drafts, and are unlikely to leave any of them available for the Tempo or Fire.
Of course, that fifth spot is where things get a little interesting. Marina Mabrey, who made her dissatisfaction with the team well known at the beginning of 2025, is also the Sun's strongest core candidate. That makes it likely she will be the fifth protected player.
This leaves Mamignan Toure, Rayah Marshall, Bria Hartley, Haley Peters, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Nikolina Milic, and Lindsay Allen unprotected. Tina Charles is ineligible for the draft.
The Sun could end up moving to Texas
The Expansion Draft isn't the only factor that could potentially change the Sun — the team could end up moving to Houston, Texas, if a potential new buyer has their way.
A potential sale of the Sun was a big topic throughout the 2025 season, and in September a group of buyers in Boston, Massachusetts, appeared poised to take over the team. The WNBA quickly shut that idea down, and there was little talk of another potential move until very recently.
This month several outlets reported that the owners of the Houston Rockets are in "substantive talks" with the ownership group of the Sun to buy the team. No agreement has been signed to date, but the talks have also been described as positive for all involved parties. The Sun have been owned by the Mohegan tribe since 2003.