After an expansion draft alongside the Toronto Tempo, the Portland Fire had eleven players on their roster. Notably, to me, was that only one of the eleven was a “big”, or a “center”: a tall, strong player that can protect the rim and rebound. It is a position that is historically critical to success at the highest levels, and it’s also a position that is becoming less valued overall as basketball around the world continues its Pace and Space era, where teams are happier to play smaller teams that can run faster and can shoot 3’s.

Toronto, for the record, drafted three centers, including former Oregon Duck Nyara Sabally.

The big/center/”5” that Portland took is Luisa Geiselsoder who played her first W season last year in Dallas. The 26 year old German native is an accurate shooter, a very willing 3-point shooter, a good defensive rebounder. Geiselsoder is listed at 6’4”, which has been enough size for some bigs in the league, but her game does not involve a lot of time close to the rim or out-muscling the opponent’s bigs. She played a lot of her time in Dallas alongside a bigger player like Teaira McCowan (listed below), and could struggle if she was the primary big for a W roster. She would fit in a faster team that likes to shoot from deep, but Portland will need additional options if they want to find success against every opponent.

So, what’s the deal with this disparity on the Fire roster? General Manager Vanja Černevic addressed it in her press conference immediately following the expansion draft:

“What we’re definitely going to target is the big position. That’s definitely going to be our priority.”

Free agency signings start today. Confirmations have already been made for several players around the league, but many remain available. Before we dive-in to who the Fire could sign, who they might be targeting, let’s check in with the WNBA draft, which will take place on Monday.

The draft is a much clearer version of adding players to the roster. You know who is available, you know what pick you have, and you can more easily project what your opposing teams will decide to do. The Fire certainly have targets picked out in the draft, and surely have options that will be available to them at pick #7, their first pick this year.

Is there a solution for the big position in this year’s draft? Let’s take a quick look:

Awa Fam Thiam is many outlet’s projection for the first overall pick as the Dallas Wings attempt to create a young core with Paige Bueckers. Coming from Spain, Fam is a generational athlete with all the skill you could want in a 19 year-old. I don’t see any world in which Fam makes it to pick 7.

Lauren Betts has solidified many projections’ top-4 status after having the profile for it, and proving it a few weeks ago by winning the NCAA championship. She’s tall, she’s strong, she’s a winner, and she can start for a team right now. I don’t see any world in which Betts makes it to pick 7.

And then, there is a huge gap.

South Carolina and Kenya’s Madina Okot is the next highest-projected big, typically falling in the #10-13 range of publications’ mock drafts. The 21 year-old first became aware of, and started playing, the sport of basketball in 2020 around age 15. She’s 6’6”, she has good shooting numbers in college, and seems promising. She seems to be a prospect that is farther away from meaningfully contributing to a winning WNBA team compared to Betts and Fam, which is no denigration, but a factor that the Fire must juggle.

I don’t think the Fire will “reach” for Okot at pick 7, because there are stronger day-one contributors available at other positions. Do they need to find a player at Okot’s position? Yes. Do they need to do it with their first-round draft pick? Absolutely not.

I don’t think the solution is coming in the draft. I would think the Fire agree with me. If that assumption is true, I am expecting to see some action tomorrow when Free Agency signings are officially announced. Let’s look at who is available, both technically and by all reporting.

Azurá Stevens - just signed with Chicago

Alanna Smith - listed as a forward in most places, Alanna Smith just won the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year as the big in Minnesota, though that team had a lot of big-for-their-position players alongside Smith who were good defenders as well. That is not to take away from Smith, who racks up steals and blocks, is a great shooter, a good passer, and a good rebounder. They are certainly one of the most coveted players available, after some interviews that sure sounded like she would leave Minnesota if another team valued her higher. She wouldn’t likely be a #1 All-Star option on a team like Portland, but she would make the team instantly competitive.

Teaira McCowan - a player with great size who played as a backup center in Dallas last season. She can rebound with the best of them, is a good pick-and-roll operator, and provides rim protection. But, she was waived by Dallas last season, even though that team is still searching for the primary big for their team. A solid backup, McCowan will have to prove herself to become a starter again.

Jonquel Jones - presumed to re-sign with the N.Y. Liberty, who are championship contenders every season. I imagine she wants to continue playing on the best teams for the biggest trophies, and not starting a new veteran leader stage of her career. But, gosh, signing Jones, a former league MVP and Finals MVP, would light up this city.

Temi Fágbénlé - expansion drafted by Vanja Cernevic’s Golden State Valkyries last season, Fágbénlé has the length to play as the biggest player on the floor for a team, but isn’t as strong as most traditional bigs. This can work in a faster paced group, and Fágbénlé has the skills and experience to be part of a strategy like that. She started 38 of the 39 games she played last season.

Brittney Griner - just signed with Connecticut

Emma Meesseman - the 2019 Finals MVP with the Washington Mystics returned to the W last season after two seasons away. The Belgian big proved she is still a great offensive producer as she enters her age 33 season.

Tina Charles - another former MVP, Tina Charles is entering her age 37 season, and still beating up on people. She averaged 16 points 6 rebounds in 43 games last season for Connecticut. Her timeline doesn’t match-up with the future focused Fire squad, but I think Portland would love a legend to come through town in some capacity. Maybe Charles is it?

Stefanie Dolson - a champion with the 2021 Chicago Sky, Big Mama Stef is a WNBA vet with a great offensive toolkit. She doesn’t log a ton of minutes, and likely couldn’t be a team’s primary big at this point in her career, but she can definitely still be a part of a winning rotation.

This is a tricky section. I am not anywhere near informed enough to know who the Fire might target in a trade, or what Bigs out there are in a situation in which they are likely to be traded. I will say that, though some of the selections made in the expansion draft could have been an attempt to acquire assets to be traded, I don’t know that the Fire successfully drafted any players with good trade value. Good trade value would be a good player, or a good contract for that player, or both. The Fire have all of their franchise’s draft picks available to be traded, but those are very valuable, and with the staff’s interest in player development, I don’t see them giving those away in trades. At least, not anytime soon.

I’m sure there are players who want a change of venue, but those kinds of rumors and information are honestly not my strong suit. If you have your ear to the ground, and would like to help share that information with the BALL KNOWERS here, please reach out so we can share your wealth of knowledge!

So where does that leave us? For me, it leaves me in waters that are murky, and hard to decipher. The Fire front-office feels to me like a group with a plan, and I’m sure there are options that I have not seen nor shared about here today. They could be finalizing a big free agent as I finish these last sentences and send this to print. That’s the magic of free-agency.

Did I miss anyone? Is my analysis way off? The inbox is always open for feedback, for disagreement, for deeper Ball Knowledge.

You’ll see me in your inbox again soon, hopefully tomorrow night, with some pre-draft thoughts. My partner and I are lucky enough to be going to the Moda Center to watch the Portland Fire’s official draft day celebration. I’ll share my experiences there in the middle of next week.

It feels great to be in this crunch-time of uncertainty, doesn’t it?

“5” position: in old school basketball terminology, there are five positions for players:

1 - the point guard, a skilled passer who initiates most of the offense

2 - the shooting guard, a similarly sized player that can be a primary scorer

3 - the small forward, bigger than a guard, smaller than a big, that can defend and play against players of most sizes

4 - the power forward, a big that also has defensive versatility to defend bigs and forwards

5 - the center, the big, who typically defends the paint* and secures a lot of rebounds

The Paint: the painted square on a basketball court, inside the free-throw line. It is a part of the court that offenses want to get into, so that they are close to the basket, which makes getting the ball in the hoop much easier. This is why teams also want a bigger player to “protect the paint” so that the opponent never gets a shot that is too easy.