The two-team Expansion Draft is set for April 3rd at 3:30 PM EST.

Similar to the 2024 expansion draft, it will air live on ESPN. However, this draft features two teams, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, who will officially begin building their rosters.

For months, people have been waiting for the WNBA league office to provide the rules of this double expansion draft. We finally have them, and this section in particular stands out:

Additionally, if a player is selected by either the Tempo or Fire, only those teams can offer the selected player a supermax contract.

The provision that only five players can be selected and previously cored players can be included is a change from the last expansion draft. When the Valkyries were drafting players, teams could protect six players, and players who had been core for two or more seasons could not be selected.

These developments make the process for teams a lot more complicated.

As an example, the New York Liberty will have to protect Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart if they want to prevent them from getting selected and offered supermax contracts by either the Fire or Tempo.

Jones and Stewart are expected to return to the Liberty, but potentially losing out on offering their franchise stalwarts supermax contracts could create trouble for the Liberty.

There’s a lot to juggle, and on March 31, Erica L. Ayala and I will delve into all the expansion draft machinations on Gotta Get Up, a podcast for New York Liberty fans

Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb has amassed a fair share of depth over the years, and with a returning Betnijah Laney-Hamilton in 2026, the team has even more options to work with. However, he can only protect five.

With six players – Natasha Cloud, Sabrina Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich, Laney-Hamilton, Stewart, and Jones – along with key reserves like Nyara Sabally, a championship player will be left exposed and at risk of being selected by the Fire or Tempo.

Of course, with just about everyone being a free agent, they don’t have to sign with the expansion team if selected.

This WNBA off-season is all gas, no breaks. We’re on the fast track to Opening Night, and everyone has to figure out what they’re doing now.

As competition continues to rise, front offices have to ensure every decision is the right one.

Here’s what you need to know today:

🔏 Lock In: Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen Matchups Set for Must-Watch Drama
Can South Carolina get their lickback against Oklahoma?!

📺 Big Move: WNBA Coverage on CBS Levels Up
More games, more exposure, and a sign of where the league is headed.

💰 Money Moves: Dallas Wings Make a Statement Off the Court
A new facility signals bigger ambitions in Dallas.

Brian’s Game to Watch!

Sweet Sixteen Friday has four excellent matchups on deck, and the same can be said for Sweet Sixteen Saturday. Our focus today is on a rematch from earlier in the season as the SEC Rumble takes center stage.

On January 22, Oklahoma faced the University of South Carolina in Norman, OK. The game went into overtime before Aaliyah Chavez took over and powered the Sooners to a shocking 94-82 victory.

These teams meet again as Oklahoma aims to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2010. Although these teams are familiar with one another, we shouldn’t draw too much from their late January meeting.

“It's not like we played this perfect game when we played South Carolina, and it's not like they played a perfect game and we just got them,” Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk said.

“That game was a long time ago. We're both different. We've both grown a lot at this point.”

If the Sooners want to pull off the upset, they’re going to need a career game from their star freshman. Aaliyah Chavez has been in a slump recently as she’s only shot above 40 percent from the field once in the past seven games. Chavez is a guard who can get her own shot at any time and heat up at a moment’s notice.

The Sooners will also need a huge game out of senior center Raegan Beers. South Carolina has been outrebounded in each of their three losses this season, and as a team, the Sooners are second in the nation in rebounding. Beers will have to battle the SEC’s leading rebounder, Madina Okot, on the inside and stay out of foul trouble tonight.

There’s always an extra pep in your step when you see a team that beat you once already. For the Gamecocks, they’re ready to get some payback as they look to make their sixth consecutive Final Four.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about Oklahoma ever since we lost to them,” Joyce Edwards said. “I feel like this team has a special place for people who we lose to.”

If the Gamecocks want to win, they’ll need huge games from Edwards and Raven Johnson. Johnson has been one of South Carolina’s most important players throughout her time in Columbia, and the future WNBA draft pick will be tasked with slowing Chavez down.

If Johnson and South Carolina are able to control the boards and make things tough on Chavez, they’ll be moving on to the next round.

The Sweet Sixteen promises to be incredible, and to break it all down, our own Erica L. Ayala joined Alicia Jay and Terrika Foster-Brasby to break it all down on the latest edition of We Need to Talk:

The Oklahoma vs. South Carolina has a date with the winner of TCU and Virginia in the Elite Eight.

Tip-off on March 28 at 5 PM on ESPN.

A NEW DEAL SHOWCASES THE GROWTH OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The WNBA and CBS will be partners for the foreseeable future.

On March 25, it was announced that the two sides reached a “long-term” media rights agreement. As part of the new deal, CBS will increase its WNBA game inventory from eight to 20. Also, all of the games will be available on CBS and Paramount+, and no longer on CBS Sports Network.

Having your games on a channel everyone can access will go a long way toward helping the WNBA expand its cultural footprint.

The new agreement increases the WNBA’s reach and is a sign of where the league is going.

“The WNBA’s growth and cultural impact have never been stronger, and CBS Sports is proud to deepen our longstanding partnership with a league that continues to drive the evolution of women’s sports,” Dan Weinberg, CBS Sports Executive Vice President of Programming, said.

“With our entire schedule of games on broadcast television, we are broadening the league’s reach and amplifying the WNBA’s momentum with best‑in‑class coverage that reflects the excellence of its athletes and resonates with fans.”

Similar to the WNBA’s agreement with ION, this agreement is independent of the NBA and the 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights agreement signed in 2024 with Disney, Amazon, and NBC Universal.

2026 will be huge for the WNBA. The CBA is complete, fan excitement is through the roof, and the games will be even more accessible to viewers.

This CBS partnership is another win for the league, and we should be in store for something special this spring.

THE LATEST ON THE DALLAS WINGS PRACTICE FACILITY

Throughout the winter, the Dallas Wings have been pushing to build a practice facility. The team has run into trouble because the Dallas City Council has questions about the facility's costs and when it will be built.

We’re starting to get more clarity.

On March 26, the Dallas Morning News reported that it will take over construction of its new practice facility from the city of Dallas and will be responsible for building it. The facility costs $81 million, and the city will cover $57 million, with the Wings franchise covering the remaining costs going forward.

The Dallas City Council voted 13-2 in favor of this arrangement, with the two no votes citing the high costs and desire to use the funds on community needs like libraries, etc.

The Wings are still aiming to have the facility up and running by April 2027, and real construction is expected to begin by the end of April 2026 at the latest.

For Wings fans, it’s been a frustrating saga, but everyone on the team is working to get this facility built.

“Despite the delays and the ups and the downs, we remain as committed as ever to our long-term partnership with the City of Dallas,” Dallas Wings CEO Greg Bibb said.

The Wings are hoping to level up. They want to contend and be a destination for players going forward.

That starts with a great practice facility and a strong relationship with the city of Dallas. If they’re able to accomplish both, the sky is the limit.

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