Analyst Predicts Sky’s Protected Players in WNBA Expansion Draft

With the upcoming WNBA Expansion Draft coming soon, the league's two newest teams (the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo), will have the chance to select players that go unprotected by all of the other 14 teams. As reported by Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com, "With so many WNBA veterans headed to unrestricted free agency with the new CBA certain to massively increase salaries, teams are expected to be allowed to protect only five players each rather than last year's six." The Chicago Sky will have to declare who is available for either the Portland Fire or the Toronto Tempo to take in the upcoming WNBA Expansion Draft. Pelton took that opportunity to predict who the 2021 WNBA champions will end up protecting. Considering the two first-round rookies that Chicago took in the 2024 WNBA Draft both are under contract for at least one more season, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso are protected in Pelton's projection. Reese is a two-time WNBA All-Star and has led the league in rebounding both years that she's played in t