The Portland Fire’s 90,000-square-foot training facility in Hillsboro is almost finished, featuring full-size courts and a massive medical wing. But the current CBA stalemate has left the building empty. Neither the Fire nor the Toronto Tempo have a single player under contract or a confirmed date for an expansion draft. These franchises are essentially shells waiting for the league and the players' union to stop arguing over how to split the money.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently warned that the league is "awfully close to the 11th hour" as training camps approach in April. He is trying to cram an expansion draft, a collegiate draft, and a free agency window into a calendar that is already running out of days. On the ownership side, Portland’s Lisa Bhathal Merage says her goal is "to have the best care in women's sports," yet she is stuck waiting on a salary cap figure that could swing by millions of dollars. The league is offering a $5.65 million cap based on net revenue, while the players are holding out for a much larger piece of the gross.
The Golden State Valkyries had months to scout and build their brand around a roster. Portland and Toronto are being forced to wait in a vacuum. If there isn't a signed deal by early March, these expansion franchises will have to scavenge for players in a frantic multi-day window. That isn't a growth strategy. It's a logistical failure that sets the new teams up to struggle before they even tip off.
We are less than 60 days from the scheduled start of training camp. Without a signed CBA, the "Portland Fire" is just a name on a lease and a schedule with nobody to play the games. The WNBA is risking its biggest expansion year by treating its two newest pillars as afterthoughts in a labor war.