The Portland Fire are three hours away from having players on their team. Here are a couple loose predictions.
From: OregonLive
Since the list of protected players is not available to us ball-knowers, we can’t really do too much predicting of who Portland, and Toronto, will be selecting in today’s draft. Bummer.
But we can use what information we do have to make broader predictions about style, fit, direction, and ~vibes~ of the picks these teams could be making.
Let’s look at the head coaches for Portland and Toronto, each of which paint a different picture of the coming 2026 season:
Toronto’s head coach, Sandy Brondello, is a proven winner at the highest level. This signals to me that this franchise wants to hit the ground running and do what Sandy does: succeed on the floor.
Portland’s head coach, Alex Sarama, is a proven developer with little American professional experience. We don’t know how savvy of an in-game coach Sarama can be, but we do know what he prioritizes and is interested in: practicing and getting better in new and better ways.
I think these facts could lead decision-making today. I am thinking that Portland will be drafting for culture, for intellect, and for future ability. Will they draft players that will positively impact winning on day one? Absolutely. But I don’t expect them to sacrifice fit for day-one impact by selecting a veteran scorer that another team has strangely chosen not to protect, for example.
Let’s also look at the general manager Vanja Černivec. Last year, she was the Assistant General Manager of the Golden State Valkyries, who made the playoffs in their first season. So, Černivec has the most recent expansion team success that anyone has on the new teams this year. Notably, Golden State leaned into international players in their expansion draft and free-agency, a resource that is becoming better utilized in all of basketball in the U.S. in the last several years. There remains a ton of talent outside of the league and the country, and, additionally, the amount of international players available in today’s expansion draft are higher than the pool of players that will be available in free-agency. Add-in Coach Sarama’s international experience, and the idea that international players won’t have the U.S. training and behavior baggage that Coach Sarama is trying to curb in his methods, and I think we have a clear method for success that the Fire could follow.
Finally, something I’m hoping for: last year, the Golden State Valkyries were able to select New York Liberty’s Kayla Thornton, a champion and a role-player that could be a starter on any other team. Well, she was a started on Golden State, and was an All-Star last year. And, no doubt, she was a leader in the clubhouse for a new franchise filled with new staff and new players. She was someone who you’d love to buy their jersey, someone you knew, and simply a great player. There are many good outcomes to this expansion draft, and many good ways to be an exciting team, a winning team, and a successful team that fans want to support. Personally, I hope we get someone like Kayla Thornton, who gives us access to all paths towards a great first season.
I’ll see you later tonight, or later this weekend, with thoughts and analysis of the Portland Fire’s first ever roster moves.
Enjoy the process, y’all.
