{"id":461085,"date":"2026-02-10T23:57:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/461085\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T23:57:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:57:11","slug":"a-rapper-a-spanish-prodigy-and-5-other-players-the-portland-fire-could-take-in-the-2026-wnba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/461085\/","title":{"rendered":"A rapper, a Spanish prodigy and 5 other players the Portland Fire could take in the 2026 WNBA Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is still no timeframe for the start of the 2026 WNBA<\/a> season due to ongoing collective bargaining negotiations but there are still plenty of opportunities for women\u2019s basketball fans to mull over the WNBA Draft. <\/p>\n

The Fire<\/a> are set to pick seventh in the 2026 WNBA Draft. And considering the team will be coming into the draft following the expansion draft, it is unlikely the Fire have the ability to move up in the draft with any trades. <\/p>\n

Looking ahead to the 2026 WNBA Draft can be hard for Portland fans, as the Fire will also be in the 2026 expansion draft to build their debut roster and their needs can evolve in that span. But it hasn\u2019t stopped people from looking ahead to the Draft for the best players. <\/p>\n

Here are some players who WNBA draft experts say the Portland Fire should take with the No. 7 pick: <\/p>\n

Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss <\/p>\n

After the WNBA Draft Lottery in November set the lineup for the 2026 draft, ESPN said<\/a> the 6-foot small forward from Ole Miss could be the seventh player to be taken in the draft. <\/p>\n

\"VanderbiltMississippi forward Cotie McMahon (32) gets behind Vanderbilt’s defense to score off an inbounds pass during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo\/Vasha Hunt)AP<\/p>\n

McMahon spent three years playing at Ohio State and was a two-time first team All-Big Ten selection. For her senior season, McMahon is at Ole Miss and has the Rebels currently at 19-5 and No. 14 in the nation. McMahon is averaging 19.8 points per game (No. 4 in the SEC) this year. <\/p>\n

Flau\u2019jae Johnson, LSU <\/p>\n

The Portland Fire have done a lot of work in 2026 to establish themselves as a hometown brand along with a WNBA franchise. And Johnson, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, could fit that mold perfectly. Johnson has established herself at LSU as a reliable scorer and defender, and has also released two albums as a rapper (going by just her first name). <\/p>\n

\"LSULSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, right, drives to the basket around Auburn guard Kaitlyn Duhon, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo\/Butch Dill)AP<\/p>\n

Hoops HQ<\/a> and WBasketballBlog<\/a> both have listed Johnson as the Fire\u2019s top option. <\/p>\n

In 2025, Johnson was a third team All-American and first team all-SEC selection with 18.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. This year, she\u2019s averaging 13.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n

Portland has also made it clear in the past that it\u2019s happy to embrace a professional basketball player who doubles as a rapper<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"IowaUCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens, right, dribbles against Iowa guard Teagan Mallegni (55) as UCLA forward Angela Dugali\u0107 (32) watches during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Jessie Alcheh)APGianna Kneepkens, UCLA <\/p>\n

A longtime Utah Ute, Kneepkens\u2019 stock has gone up over the past year. She was named to the All-Pac-12 Team in 2022 and 2023 and was an All-Big 12 first team selection in 2025. <\/p>\n

In the 2025-2026 season, the 6-foot guard is averaging 12.1 points and 2.6 assists per game and UCLA is one of the top teams in the country (23-1 and No. 2 in the rankings). <\/p>\n

Melissa Triebwasser has Kneepkens going at No. 7 in the Winsidr mock draft<\/a>. Tankathon<\/a> also posted a mock draft where they have Kneepkens going to the Fire. <\/p>\n

Madina Okot, South Carolina <\/p>\n

A 6-foot-6 senior center, it would be hard for the Fire to pass on the opportunity to get a strong interior defender. Originally from Kenya, Okot has only played two years of college basketball. <\/p>\n

\"TennesseeSouth Carolina center Madina Okot reacts after a basket by her team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee in Columbia, S.C., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Nell Redmond)AP<\/p>\n

Okot spent the 2024-2025 season with Mississippi, where coach Sam Purcell called her a \u201cdiamond in the rough.\u201d<\/a> She scored 11.3 points and grabbed 9.6 rebounds per game with the Bulldogs. <\/p>\n

This year, Okot is averaging 13.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game for South Carolina. <\/p>\n

Michael Waterloo said Okot would go No. 7 in the Winsidr mock draft<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Kiki Rice, UCLA <\/p>\n

The Bruins\u2019 5-foot-11 senior point guard has been one of the driving forces for the Bruins\u2019 2025-2026 run as UCLA finds itself as one of the country\u2019s top teams. Rice is averaging 15.3 points, 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game this year. Her 39.1 three-point percentage is among the best in the Big Ten. <\/p>\n

\"UCLAUCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) drives to the basket against Michigan guard Mila Holloway (3) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Lon Horwedel)AP<\/p>\n

She was a first team All-Big Ten selection last year and a member of the All-Pac-12 Team in 2024. <\/p>\n

Swish Appeal<\/a> has Rice going to the Fire at No. 7. <\/p>\n

Yarden Garzon, Maryland <\/p>\n

A 6-foot-3 guard from Israel, Garzon provides length in the backcourt and some of the best 3-point shooting in the Big Ten. She\u2019s averaging 13 points and three assists per game this year while making 39.7% of her shots from range. <\/p>\n

Prior to Maryland, Garzon was a standout at Indiana and was one of the Hoosiers\u2019 all-time best 3-point shooters. She holds the school record for 3-pointers made (220) and shooting percentage (42.6%). She was an All-Big Ten second team selection in 2023 and 2025.<\/p>\n

\"MarylandMaryland guard Yarden Garzon (12) is defended by UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)AP<\/p>\n

Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic<\/a> had Garzon going to the Fire with the No. 7 pick. <\/p>\n

Iyana Mart\u00edn Carri\u00f3n, Perfumer\u00edas Avenida Baloncesto<\/p>\n

At 20 years old, Mart\u00edn Carri\u00f3n has already been playing professional basketball for four years. She spent 2022-2024 with Segle XXI and signed a deal with Perfumer\u00edas Avenida in 2024. In 2023, she was the FIBA U19 World Cup MVP. Last year, she averaged 10.5 point, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and was named the EuroLeague Young Player of the Year at just 19 years old. <\/p>\n

So far in the 2025-2026 season, the 5-foot-9 guard is averaging 12.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. <\/p>\n

Jack Maloney had Mart\u00edn going to the Fire in CBS Sports\u2019 mock draft<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is still no timeframe for the start of the 2026 WNBA season due to ongoing collective bargaining…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[215104,4044,9599,400,34455,7702,99,16698,434],"class_list":{"0":"post-461085","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-bkw","9":"tag-college-basketball","10":"tag-mississippi","11":"tag-ncaa-basketball","12":"tag-ole-miss","13":"tag-sec","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-vanderbilt","16":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}