Blazers News: WNBA returns to Portland, Blazers fill last two-way spot

After over two decades without a WNBA team, Portland will finally welcome an expansion team in 2026! In late August, The Rose Garden Report's Sean Highkin was on top of the news that Portland would land a WNBA expansion team. The news was initially set to be official on September 10 but was pushed back until September 18. We already covered the details after Highkin's announcement, but here is a recap:

Portland officially lands WNBA expansion team

• Portland's WNBA team will be implemented in the 2026 season, joining Toronto's expansion team.

• After accounting for the Golden State Valkyries, which will play in 2025, the WNBA is now just one city away from its goal to expand from 12 to 16 teams. According to Highkin, possible locations for the remaining team include Philadelphia, Denver, Nashville, and Miami.

• Portland previously had a WNBA team, the Fire, for three seasons from 2000-02. Whether they will keep the Fire name or go with something different this time remains to be seen.

• The Bhathal family will head the new ownership group. They are already familiar with Portland's women's sports teams as owners of the Portland Thorns, a professional soccer team. They also have NBA ties as the co-owners of the Sacramento Kings.

• The WNBA team will eventually play at the Moda Center, where the Blazers currently play. But it could take a few years for that to happen. In the meantime, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum is mentioned as a potential temporary location.

Bill Oram of The Oregonian/OregonLive also recently reported that the Bhathal family will pay $125 million for the expansion franchise, the highest in WNBA history (surpassing Toronto's recent expansion deal by $10 million). Oram notes that Alex Bhathal called the WNBA "a rocket ship," referring to its significant boost in popularity and promising long-term outlook.

Taze Moore gets Blazers' final two-way spot

The Blazers are bringing back Taze Moore for their third and final two-way spot. Moore joins Justin Minaya and Bryce McGowens as their two-way players signed this summer. They now have 20 players under contract after accounting for training camp invites Henri Drell and Devonte Graham.

Last season, 26-year-old Moore played for the Blazers' G League team, the Rip City Remix, averaging 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He did play four games with the Blazers from two 10-day contracts last season, averaging 4.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game during that stretch.

Besides Minaya, all of the other Blazers' two-way players and training camp invites are guards. It would have been nice to see a few more wings in the mix, as that is their most significant area of need. But the Blazers' roster is still in flux, and their guards could be a lot shallower if they decide to move on from Anfernee Simons. Given the uncertainty, it makes sense for Portland to accumulate the best players possible, even if that means stockpiling guards again.