WNBA hints at expansion a day before reported announcement of Portland team
ATLANTA — The WNBA is expanding.
According to a report from Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report, the Bhathal family, which owns the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns, is close to finalizing a deal to bring a WNBA team to Portland, with an expectation to begin play in 2026. An announcement reportedly is coming Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the WNBA shared a cryptic post on X that appeared to confirm another expansion team: “You know what’s better than 14 teams?”
A team in Portland would bring the WNBA total to 15 after last October’s creation of the Golden State Valkyries, who will begin play in 2025, and this spring’s addition of an as-yet-unnamed Toronto team, which will begin play in 2026. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has expressed she’d like 16 teams to be operating by 2028, mentioning she has had talks with officials in Philadelphia, Nashville and South Florida.
The resurrection of the defunct four-time WNBA champion Houston Comets is a scenario that continues to find support.
“That’s a franchise that’s done something no other team has ever done,” said Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who lost to the Comets three times in the WNBA Finals with the Liberty. “It’s hard to do what they did in the fashion that they did it. That needs to be acknowledged, recognized and never forgotten. It was great what they’ve done for the game of basketball, and it would be great if someone decided to bring [the WNBA] back to Houston.”
Expansion draft rules are expected to be announced before the WNBA Draft lottery in December. In 2008, when the Dream became the most recent team to begin play, each of the 13 other teams were allowed to protect up to six players. The Dream were then allowed to select one unprotected player from each team and also received the fourth pick in each round of that year’s draft.
“The story every year as we get to the season is, ‘I can’t believe so-and-so didn’t make a team,’ ” Sky forward Isabelle Harrison said, addressing an issue the expansion teams will alleviate. “It’s not because of the talent. It’s because there aren’t enough spots. I don’t want to live in a league like that anymore.”
Looking ahead to lottery
Connecticut point guard Paige Bueckers is the heavy favorite to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2025. The Sparks will have the best odds of landing her, regardless of which other two teams among the Sky, Dream and Mystics join them in the draft lottery. Odds are determined by teams’ cumulative records the previous two seasons.
Here are some way-too-early predictions for lottery picks beyond Bueckers:
No. 2: Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen, 19.4 points, 11 rebounds, 2.3 assists last season.
No. 3: Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles, 13.6 points, 6.8 assists, 6.2 rebounds.
No. 4: French center Dominique Malonga, 11.9 points, 8.9 rebounds.
Other possibilities include LSU forward Aneesah Morrow and UConn guard Azzi Fudd.