Sep 11, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) smiles after the game against the Phoenix Mercury at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas Wings preparing for WNBA's expansion draft for Toronto Tempo, Portland Fire

Originally posted on Dallas Wings on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Nov 28, 2025 11:15 AM ET

The WNBA is going to be the wild west this offseason. There are two new teams entering the league, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, which will cause another expansion draft, and almost every veteran player is set to be a free agent this year. Most teams only have 2 or 3 players under contract for 2026, and no team has more than 5. For rosters that can carry between 11 and 12 players, that's a lot of change that could happen.

A lot will also change because of the ongoing CBA negotiations, as that's going to set the salary cap, and the maximum that players can make. Once that's set, there will be a lot of vying for some of these top stars around the league. Dallas is hopeful to bring back Arike Ogunbowale, but they also want to have around 11 players in place before the expansion drafts, per GM Curt Miller.

“We’re going to lose players that you don’t necessarily want to lose in an expansion draft,” Miller said after Sunday's draft lottery. “There’s a lot of unknowns, and we have a couple other big, big moments before [the draft]. We have an expansion draft… and then you’ve got unprecedented free agency before you even get to the collegiate draft in April. League-wide, we have a difficult decision on protections. I’m not the only GM that’s going to have sleepless nights."

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

How is the WNBA's Expansion Draft Going to Work?

The WNBA just went through the expansion process last year with the Golden State Valkyries, where teams could protect up to 6 players, and the Valkyries selected 11 players.

The exact rules for this expansion draft won't be set until the CBA is finalized, and this is the first time in a while that two teams are entering the league at the same time. Other teams will be added by 2030, so this won't be the only time they go through this process, so it has to be a part of the plan moving forward.

But if last year's expansion draft was any indication, an expansion team could only take one player from each team so they weren't raiding other rosters. That'll likely be the same for this draft, as the NBA followed that rule last time they went through an expansion. Last year, the Dallas Wings lost Veronica Burton to the Valkyries, who ended up becoming the league's Most Improved Player winner this year.

This article first appeared on Dallas Wings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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