The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire had their expansion drafts today after the long battle of the WNBA CBA negotiations, highlighted by Marina Mabrey being drafted by Toronto. I just want to say that this is finally feeling like a true leap for the league, and we are now filling up the anticipation with the 2026 season starting soon. So basically, Toronto got the better pick of the two teams in the WNBA Draft, but Portland had th the first pick in the expansion draft, which was Bridget Carlton; the Tempo’s first pick was Julie Allemand.
But the player that I want to spotlight is Mabrey. She is one of the best scorers in the W right now and is a huge get for Toronto, especially when it comes to being an alpha on a team. So the former Connecticut Sun, along with Allemand and Nyara Sabally, are a great foundation for this new Toronto team to build around right now, but the Notre Dame alum is going to be the star by far. Let’s dive into Toronto’s roster and the former Sun’s career a bit more here.
Toronto Tempo’s Roster Reveal
Mabrey, Allemand, and Sabally headline Toronto’s roster, which also includes talent like Kristy Wallace and Lexi Held as well. Toronto also added three international players in this expansion draft. Toronto GM, Monica Wright-Rodgers, highlighted the depth of the WNBA Draft itself and how that played into their strategies in this expansion draft to counter the Fire during this process, especially after a long wait due to the WNBA CBA Negotiations. The full roster is embedded below…
How Marina Mabrey Is Going to Fit
Mabrey is probably the most electric scorer that was drafted in this expansion draft. In her career 12.5 points per game scorer and is coming off a season in Connecticut where she averaged 14.4 points per game.
She did have poor efficiency numbers last season, so she’ll have to improve those, but she can have a strong scoring output that can help lead Toronto and Sandy Brondello’s expansion team’s success, just like the Golden State Valkyries did last season. I think she is going to be the No.1 scoring option unless Toronto signs a big free agent in Free Agency once the CBA is ratified.
Toronto’s 2026 Potential
Toronto is going to be an interesting team to watch in 2026 because of Mabrey, because of her tenacity on the court and her scoring ability. But Toronto has an opportunity to continue to build the roster and create a competitive team day one, especially with the legendary coach Brondello on the staff.
