3 Portland Fire Players Lose Job After Loss to Indiana Fever
Alex Sarama and the Portland Fire dropped to 2-3 in their inaugural WNBA season after falling 90-73 to Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night. Now, the Fire will turn their attention to Saturday's matchup in Canada against Sandy Brondello and the Toronto Tempo, the second expansion franchise to join the league in 2026.
Forward Bridget Carleton led the way for Portland against the Caitlin Clark-less Fever, recording a team-high 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go along with three rebounds and three steals. However, the Fire struggled to contain Boston, who finished with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. And while Portland looks to bounce back in its upcoming game against Toronto, it will do so with a different roster.
On Thursday, less than 24 hours after their loss to the Fever, the Fire announced that not one but three players had been waived from the team. The first to go was forward Kamiah Smalls. The former James Madison star appeared in two of Portland's first five games, including one start, averaging 7.5 points and 3.0 assists per contest.
The second to depart was guard Haley Jones, who was taken from the Dallas Wings in the recent expansion draft. Jones appeared in every game for Portland in 2026, averaging 5.2 points and 1.0 assists in 11.4 minutes per game. The last and arguably the most surprising cut of the day was guard Sug Sutton, who tallied 14 points and four assists against Indiana. She appeared in three games for the Fire, averaging 11.3 points and 5.7 assists.
In light of the recent cuts, the Fire replaced each of the three players with new additions, signing German forward Frieda Buhner and English guard Holly Winterburn to standard contracts, while adding guard Jordan Harrison on a developmental deal. Portland announced each move in separate posts.
"thank you, Sug Sutton, the Portland Fire. "We have waived guard Sug Sutton.
thank you, Sug Sutton
— Portland Fire (@theportlandfire) May 21, 2026
We have waived guard Sug Sutton. pic.twitter.com/CzqOkjxQon
The Fire will face the Temp on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET, looking to get back to .500.
Related: Indiana Fever Awaiting WNBA's Investigation Decision After Caitlin Clark Injury
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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 7:17 PM.