Attack the Baseline Podcast

Follow us on Bluesky! @atbpod.bsky.social That's where you'll find us chatting about the #WNBA, which has been exceptional so far!

UNIVERSITY OF CHAMPIONS, LOS ANGELES 🏆 UCLA TAKES DOWN SOUTH CAROLINA TO WIN THE WOMEN'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

@RichardCohen1 Wowww this is an interesting wrinkle

And it's one pick from any given existing team in each round, but that can be by either Portland or Toronto. So, two players from the same existing team could be selected by the same expansion team. The Tempo could take a Mystic in both Rounds 1 and 2, for example. #WNBA 2/2

I'm still largely on Bluesky but this seemed important enough to add here. Couple of additional WNBA expansion draft notes I was told after asking for clarification: 12 picks in each 'round' (so six each for Toronto and Portland), for a total of up to 24. #WNBA 1/2

@MylesEhrlich Do we know the exact qualifications for a supermax yet?

NEW YORK, Mar. 25, 2026 – The WNBA’s 14th and 15th franchises, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, set to begin play in May, will begin assembling their respective rosters when the league conducts the WNBA Expansion Draft 2026 presented by State Street Investment Management SPY on Friday, April 3. Coverage and analysis will be provided by ESPN, which will air the WNBA Expansion Draft Special 2026 Presented by State Street Investment Management SPY at 3:30 p.m. ET. A coin toss will be conducted between Portland and Toronto on Friday, March 27, with the winner having the right to choose between either receiving the first selection in the Expansion Draft or the sixth pick – rather than the seventh pick – in the first round of the annual draft set for Monday April 13, 2026. The Expansion Draft will consist of two rounds with Portland and Toronto having the ability to select from a designated pool of available players as determined by each of the current 13 teams. The Fire and the Tempo will “snake” picks such that the team that holds the first pick in the first round via the coin toss selection will have the second pick in the second round. In each round, Portland and Toronto will alternate selections and shall have the right to acquire the player contract of, or the negotiating rights to, one player listed on the Unprotected List of each of the existing 13 teams. In the college draft, Portland and Toronto will alternate picks such that whichever team holds the sixth pick in the first round will then have the seventh pick in the second round and the sixth pick in the third round. The other team will have the seventh pick in the first round, the sixth pick in the second round, and the seventh pick in the third round. In preparation for the Expansion Draft, each of the existing 13 teams will be required to submit to the league office by Sunday, March 29, a Roster List that includes every player to whom the team has rights – players on the team’s active, suspended, draft list/reserved, core, or retired lists – as of the final day of the 2025 regular season. The 13 teams will be required to designate a maximum of five “Protected Players” who will not be available for selection in the Expansion Draft. All other players on each team’s Roster List will be eligible for selection by the Fire and Tempo (“Unprotected players)”. If a player who is not signed to a contract for the 2026 season is selected by Portland or Toronto in the Expansion Draft, the selecting team will receive whatever rights to such player that the existing team would have had if that player was not selected in the Expansion Draft. Any player who has completed the playing services called for by her [previous] player contract and has five or more years of service as of the end of the 2025 season must be designated on the Roster List as a “Potential Unrestricted Free Agent.” All such players must be further designated as either “Protected Players” or included on the Unprotected List. Only one of the players selected by Portland and only one of the players selected by Toronto in the Expansion Draft may be a “Potential Unrestricted Free Agent.” Such a Potential Unrestricted Free Agent may be selected even if they can no longer be designated as a Core Player, permitting the selecting team to be the only team that can negotiate a supermax contract with such player. Between the time that the Roster Lists are submitted and a designated time on the day before the Expansion Draft, Portland and Toronto will be permitted to make the following trades with existing teams: (i) an agreement to select a particular player from an Unprotected List and trade that player to a team other than her existing team; and (ii) an agreement to select (or not select) a particular player from such trading team’s Unprotected List.

INBOX (full email threaded below with full draft rules): “a coin toss will be conducted between Portland & Toronto on Friday, March 27, with the winner having the right to choose between either receiving the first selection in the Expansion Draft or the sixth pick—rather than the seventh pick—in the first round of the annual draft set for Monday April 13, 2026”

WOMEN'S NCAA MARCH MADNESS STARTS IN 24 HOURS! Want to play along with us? Get in here! #NCAA fantasy.espn.com/tc/sharer?chal…

@alexaphilippou See ya there!

📍Miami, FL

@DJKMean We are blessed!

National team content all weekend then we start the week with Unrivaled media day content 🙌🏾

Don’t miss out. Live at #unrivaled Philly announcement!! tiktok.com/t/ZTHW77fmDysw…

@Theylove_kira Congrats!! You had an amazing season!!

Man….God is so good to me. I sometimes questioned when my journey would start to see the light, but i wouldn’t trade my strength, my resilience, or my testimony for ANYTHING!!!! Just the beginning🙂‍↔️🤍

@Unrivaledwbb What!! Dropping this bomb on us with no warning!

Joining us in 2026 for season two, please welcome Breeze BC and Hive BC to Unrivaled!

@BB_Updates Full body chills

Keanu won the BB Block Buster! #BB27

🚨 Emergency podcast talking about today's #wnba expansion news! 🚨 open.spotify.com/episode/3LRHrW…

I quite literally don’t know if you could ask for more from a WNBA expansion team in year one ethan what Golden State has given us From the on-court product and the way this team plays to the off court fanbase/branding Just a total success that sets the bar so high

The best news in a long time! Beyond thrilled for our city 🥳 #wnba

Let's go!!! Thank you for all of your support Dawn!

@WNBAPhilly So freaking excited for this city!

LET’S GO!!!!!!

Major news

Breaking: Former Utah star Gianna Kneepkens has committed to @UCLAWBB, she told ESPN A 3x-time 1st-team all-conference selection, Kneepkens bolsters a Bruins team that remains in the Final Four conversation after the program's first-ever berth last month espn.com/womens-college…

Let's meet the rookies 🤝 Tune in for an introductory press conference with Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, Madison Scott, JJ Quinerly, & Aaronette Vonleh ⏰ This Wednesday at 12pm CT 📺 YouTube & Facebook

🚨 NEW EPISODE 🚨 Still buzzing off that 2025 #WNBADraft night hype?? To start SEASON 2 of ATB, we've got our instant takeaways from draft night. Hear how the picks fell and how every team did! Tap in! #WNBADraft #WNBA open.spotify.com/episode/1rEiQv…