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On the second day WNBA teams can sign players to free-agent contracts, the Fire made their biggest signing yet, adding 29-year-old veteran center Megan Gustafson on a two-year deal. The team announced the signing on Sunday afternoon, with ESPN reporting she will make $500,000 in the first season and $525,000 in the second season.
After last Friday's expansion draft, Fire general manager Vanja Černivec pointed to the frontcourt as the biggest roster hole she would look to address in free agency. The 6-foot-4 Gustafson, who has played for four teams in seven seasons in the WNBA and spent the last two seasons coming off the bench behind A'ja Wilson in Las Vegas, slots in as Portland's starting center.
A former two-time Big Ten Player of the Year at Iowa, Gustafson had her best season as a pro backing up Brittney Griner in Phoenix in 2023. That year, she averaged career highs in points (7.9) and rebounds (3.9) per game. She's added three-point range to her game in recent years, shooting 38 percent from deep over the last four seasons with the Mercury and Aces.
Gustafson joins Karlie Samuelson as the second player Portland has signed this weekend who was a member of the 2023-24 London Lions team where Černivec served as general manager and Fire head coach Alex Sarama worked as director of methodology.
After signing Gustafson, the Fire now have seven of their 12 roster spots filled by players on guaranteed contracts. Gustafson is their second-highest paid player, after they signed Bridget Carleton on Saturday to a three-year max contract that will pay her $1.19 million next year. Two of their other expansion draftees, Haley Jones and Nyadiew Puoch, have signed guaranteed contracts.
The Fire have $3.7 remaining in cap space to use on their five open roster spots and hold the No. 7, 17 and 37 overall picks in Monday's draft. Four of their other expansion draft picks, Chloe Bibby, Emily Engstler, Luisa Geiselsöder and Maya Caldwell, are on non-guaranteed training camp deals and will have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot ahead of May 9's season opener when training camp starts next Sunday,
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