Due to ongoing CBA negotiations between the WNBA's leadership and the union, the dates for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire's Expansion Drafts have not been set. However, that hasn't stopped plenty of people from speculating about which players are most at risk for being signed to the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire.
The Athletic put together its own mock Expansion Draft recently that put Dallas Wings center Li Yueru at the top of the list of players who could find themselves unprotected by their current team and at risk for being picked up. It's expected that teams will be allowed to protect up to six players from their current rosters, which leaves plenty available Tempo and Fire.
The outlet noted that Awak Kuier and Haley Jones are also potential targets from the Wings, and all three players will be 27 years or older as we head into the 2026 season. (While some have pointed to Arike Ogunbowale as a potential target, The Athletic reminded readers that Ogunbowale is an unrestricted free agent, so the Tempo or Fire would have to be willing to core her if she's drafted.)
So of the options, Yueru is an attractive option simply because of how well she performed for the Wings during the 2025 season after being traded from the Storm. She's the strongest of a limited pool of stretch-5 bigs, and as the outlet put it, "none are 6-foot-7 centers who shot 46.5 percent on spot-ups and held defenders to sub-50 percent shooting in post-up situations."
The Portland Fire may target athletes already on the west coast
When it comes to making their first selection of the night, the Fire could attempt to pull in the Golden State Valkyries' Carla Leite, who charmed the Bay Area throughout the 2025 season (The Athletic believes the Valkyries will protect Veronica Burton, Justė Jocytė, Iliana Rupert, Janelle Salaün, and Kayla Thornton). While the team could also draft Cecilia Zandalasini and María Conde, Leite spent the 2025 more than proving herself.
It's unclear when Expansion Drafts might take place
There's one huge factor standing in the way of both teams drafting anyone, and that's the CBA negotiations. The terms of Expansion Drafts are part of what is collectively bargained by the league and its players, which means things are indefinitely on pause until a new agreement is reached. Right now, both parties have agreed to a January 9 deadline, which would also mean the conversation will overlap with the second season of Unrivaled.