Carla Leite: The Import

The Pick

Third overall. Portland looked at the board, saw Bridget Carleton already in the fold at pick one, and said: we need a guard who can score. Carla Leite was that player. Selected from the Golden State Valkyries, Leite gives the Fire a legitimate scoring threat in the backcourt alongside Sug Sutton. At 7.2 points per game in her young career, she was too productive to let slide past pick three. The full picture of the expansion draft makes more sense when you see what Portland was building: a backcourt that can create for itself.

From France to the WNBA

Leite didn't come through the college basketball pipeline. No March Madness. No senior night. She came up through French basketball and impressed enough to go 9th overall to the Dallas Wings in the 2024 WNBA Draft, first round. That's rare air for an international guard. She ended up with the Golden State Valkyries, where she played 37 games and put up 268 total points, 48 rebounds, and 75 assists. Those assist numbers (2.0 per game) are notable for a player still adjusting to the American game. She sees the floor.

The international path is different. No four years of development in a college system. You learn on the job, at the highest level, with a language barrier and a completely different style of play. Leite did that at 5'9" as a guard, which tells you about the toughness Portland is betting on.

What to Watch in 2026

The backcourt rotation is the story. Sutton is the point guard. But over a 44-game WNBA season, you need multiple ball handlers. Leite's 2.0 assists per game suggest she can run some pick and roll, initiate offense, and take pressure off Sutton. When they share the floor, Portland has two creators in the backcourt.

Scoring is the other piece. At 7.2 PPG, Leite was productive in Golden State. Paired with Carleton's spacing and Haley Jones's all-around game, there are real offensive sets to be built here. Watch for Leite coming off screens, creating in the mid-range, and pushing the pace in transition. The May 9 home opener will be the first look at how Portland's backcourt fits together.

The Person

Leite is from France, part of a growing wave of international talent in the WNBA. She joins a Portland roster that already includes Canadian Bridget Carleton and German Luisa Geiselsöder. Portland has always been a city that embraces international culture, and having three players from three different countries on the expansion roster fits the vibe perfectly.

She'll play her home games at Moda Center, a building that's hosted international soccer, international tennis, and now a French guard in Portland's backcourt. Portland weird, indeed.