Nobody expected an expansion team to finish ninth in the WNBA standings, but here we are with the Portland Fire doing exactly that as the 2026 season wraps up. They even finished ahead of *five* non-expansion squads, which is just wild for a team in its first year. While they aren’t heading to the playoffs, their strong 5-3 start and pesky play all season showed they’re not just another new team.
Leite and Carleton: The Fire’s Dynamic One-Two Punch
If you want to know the real MVP for the Fire, it has to be Carla Leite. This was their No. 3 pick, and she’s been straight-up phenomenal, averaging 15.8 points and 6.3 assists per game. Remember, she only averaged seven points in her one previous WNBA season, playing just 17.2 minutes. Portland put faith in her, and she rewarded them big time. She shot 39.8 percent from deep too! If she can get more volume on that, watch out. Bridget Carleton, the No. 1 overall pick, also delivered, dropping a very good 14.3 points per game. She’s hitting 36.8 percent from three, which is fifth in the league with 106 makes. Plus, she’s 10th in the W with 1.6 steals per game. Star potential? She’s flashing it big time.
Ups and Downs For the Rest of the Draft Class
And don’t forget Emily Engstler, the No. 7 pick. She upped her career-best scoring average by 4.1 points to 10.3 per game! She’s shooting 37.1 percent from three on a career-high 1.3 makes per game. Plus, she’s snatching 1.5 steals and swatting 1.5 blocks per game, putting her 14th in steals and eighth in blocks league-wide. Then there’s Luisa Geiselsöder, the No. 5 pick. She had a tough stretch after a promising start, averaging six points over Portland’s first nine games before her minutes tanked and her contract got temporarily suspended ahead of the FIBA World Cup. Will she even be back next year? That’s a huge question mark. Oh, and Maya Caldwell, the No. 9 pick? Traded away for a 2028 third-round pick without even suiting up. She’s averaging four points for the best team in the league now. Ouch. Meanwhile, the Toronto Tempo, the other expansion squad, started 7-5 but ended up 11-30, mainly because they got absolutely slammed by numerous injuries. Imagine what they could have been without that injury bug!
So yeah, the Fire aren’t playoff bound this year, but with studs like Carla Leite leading the way and Bridget Carleton right there, they’ve got a seriously exciting core. They’ve built something real early on. The big question for next season: Can they get Geiselsöder back, and what can Leite and Carleton do for an encore? It’s gonna be fun to watch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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