PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Fire are one of two new teams in the WNBA this season, and the only expansion team coming into the league with a legacy already built behind it. The Fire will enjoy a unique opportunity to both celebrate and rewrite history, and could even serve as the model for future expansion teams in Cleveland, Houston, and Philadelphia.
But first, they have to play the 2026 season — and ideally rack up some wins.
In addition to a brand new roster, the Fire have a brand new coach. Alex Sarama, who previously worked with the city’s G League affiliate team the Rip City Remix, is back in Portland fresh off a stint as assistant coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. A lot of attention has been focused on his methodology, which he’s dubbed the Constrants-Led Approach (CLA), and for good reason — CLA hasn’t been done in the W before.
That will all change on April 29, when the Fire play their first preseason game against the Seattle Storm. The match will offer the team their first opportunity to put CLA into motion, and will give Sarama an idea of what works needs to be done next.
Sarama isn’t expecting big wins right away. In fact, it’s kind of the opposite.
“It’s going to take time, and it’s going to be messy at the beginning,” he told reporters in Portland last week. “But it’s going to be a good mess, because it’s going to allow us to get to a point which we will never be able to get to if we’re just playing scripted, rigid basketball.”
That might mean the team loses a few games early on, but Sarama believes they’ll rewrite that narrative quickly.
“We might win a few more games early on [by] playing very rigidly, but when it comes to the future, when we’re talking about winning [a] playoff series, we’re going to be a more adaptable team, and we’ll have the answers for everything,” he added.
Part of the adaptability built into CLA, which Sarama describes as “principles of play” instead of a structured basketball system.
“It’s principles and principles of play that we’re developing collectively and being intentional to design it around the strengths weaknesses of the players,” he explained. “So it is a different way of playing, because it’s it’s all about them being put into situations to make decisions, as opposed to me calling stuff from the sideline.”
“I think to really cool actually, to see players starting to understand the whys and actually making sense and embracing it and coming into the gym now,” Sarama also said.
Maya Caldwell, who was drafted to the Fire as part of the team’s expansion draft this month, endorsed CLA from the start. “I mean, the way he runs practice, it’s not a bunch of full court drills or individual shooting,” she told reporters, “your traditional passer, shooter, rebounder kind of stuff. We get right into live action immediately.”
It’s easy to catch onto Sarama’s energy as well. “It’s contagious. It’s contagious,” she said. “He comes in here, he’s part of the drills. He’s not just standing on the sideline or a half court, kind of telling people what to do and pointing in different directions. His energy is very contagious, and that’s something you can’t find everywhere.”
The Fire will get plenty of opportunities to show what their team, culture, and identity will be all about this season. Watching players catch on to CLA has been fun for Sarama, and, hopefully, that will translate to the people who show up at games.
Fans will be a big part of the Fire’s first season
Before the 2025 season, expectations for expansion teams weren’t especially high. That all changed after the Golden State Valkyries debuted in San Francisco and ended up the season in the playoffs and with Natalie Nakase snagging Coach of the Year. Now there’s a lot to live up to, and there’s no way around it: the Fire need to make an impact this season.
Part of that will rely on fans showing up and supporting the teams through wins and losses, which isn’t always a given in sports. The Fire have emphasized the need for adaptability on and off the court, and that’s something fans can participate in, too.
Caldwell’s plea to fans was immediately clear. “I feel like off rip, the message is, please come watch us play,” she said. “I heard that Portland loves women’s sports. You couldn’t ask for more, especially with the new WNBA team over here.”
In addition to the Fire, the city is also home to the Portland Thorns. The NWSL team celebrated a new home-opener attendance record in March when 21,321 fans showed up for the team’s match against the Seattle Reign.
“We’re going to do everything that we can to bring as many wins into the building,” Caldwell’s teammate Emily Engstler echoed while speaking to reporters. “We’re basketball players. This is our job. And we really hope we don’t fall short, but if we do, we really ask the fans to stay behind us, because we are building something really amazing here.”
Sylvia Fowles adds dimension to a new team
The Fire might be new, but the team will benefit from the guidance and experience of WNBA legend Sylvia Fowles, who will work alongside Sarama as one of the team’s assistant coaches.
Working with Fowles was a major pull for Engstler. “I’m gonna be completely honest, if I had to get pulled into an expansion [team], I was really hoping it was with Portland,” she said, “because I really wanted to work with Syl.”
Engstler continued, “I don’t even know how to explain how awesome it is to be here with her. She’s, one, a great person, but she has so much basketball knowledge that as a four or five, I can’t wait to learn from her.”
Megan Gustafson, who joined the team by way of the Las Vegas Aces, agreed. “To be honest, when Portland reached out, that was really exciting to be able to learn from her. I have a post player Mount Rushmore. She’s on it, so to be able to learn from her is really exciting for me. It was honestly one of the main reasons I’m here.”
Gustafson, Engstler, and Caldwell will lead a team made up of familiar faces and newcomers (like the team’s first-ever draft pick, Iyana Martín Carrión, who will head to Portland next year). The return of the Fire will usher in a new era for a team that last played in the WNBA in 2002. The Fire have a lot of opportunities to build upon their history and create something new in the process — something that feels distinctly like the city the team calls home once again.
Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. “Rare Gems” follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy Megdal’s coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout to save 30%!