As WNBA fans wait for an update about the CBA and where the players and league are at in terms of negotiations, it's nearly impossible to not contemplate another major topic: the upcoming Expansion Draft that will see the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire build out their first rosters. Though a date for the Expansion Draft has yet to be set (the terms of such a draft are part of what is collectively bargained between the players and the league), there's still plenty to consider.
It's been largely understood that each WNBA team will be allowed to protect five players, a departure from the Golden State Valkyries' 2024 Expansion Draft, when they could protect up to six. This change makes sense (there are two teams this time around), but means the stakes are pretty high for some teams.
Luckily for Washington fans, that's not really true for the Mystics. The team has a solid young core of players who are still on rookie contracts and likely to be protected. That group includes Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who both made their senior Team USA debut this year and are both playing in Unrivaled, as well as Georgia Amoore, who tore her ACL before the beginning of the 2025 WNBA Draft. All three players were first-round picks in 2025, and there's nearly zero chance the Mystics would let any of them slip away.
The Mystics also traded for Jacy Sheldon toward the end of the season, a move that saw Aaliyah Edwards swap out for the Connecticut Sun. Sheldon didn't get the chance to play too many games for the team in 2025, but she still has another two seasons in her own rookie contract (and has fan appeal after making a name for herself in that infamous showdown with Sophie Cunningham).
So that leaves a final spot on the protected list, and it seems absurd to argue it should go to anyone but Shakira Austin, who will enter the 2026 season's free agency as a restricted free agent (which means the Mystics have the right to match any offer she might receive from another team, something they'd be ridiculous to not do unless Austin has made it clear she wants to leave).
Of course, this leaves a lengthy list of players who are likely to be unprotected (and they are all going to be able to negotiate during free agency as well): Alysha Clark, Txell Alacorn, Nastja Claessens, Stefanie Dolson, Bernadett Hatar, Jade Melbourne, Lucy Olsen, Madison Scott, Sug Sutton, and Emily Engstler