Bridget Carleton is going to get paid

Chatham’s Bridget Carleton has been rewarded with a hefty contract this WNBA off-season.

The Portland Fire announced on the weekend that the team signed forward Bridget Carleton, who was their number one pick during the recent 2026 WNBA expansion draft.

Although the Fire didn’t release contract details, the website sportrac,com said Carleton signed a three-year, $3.75 million contract with the Portland, featuring a $1.19 million starting salary for the 2026 season. This max-deal contract marks a significant increase from her previous $125,000 salary with the Minnesota Lynx in 2025.

The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, the union for the league’s players, agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement on March 20, following roughly 17 months of negotiations. The new collective bargaining agreement has led to significant higher player salaries.

The WNBA only allows expansion teams to select one “unrestricted free agent” player, which Carleton now fills for the Portland Fire. The Fire begin their inaugral WNBA season on May 9.

Carleton, was a free-agent, after spending the past seven years with the Minnesota Lynx.

Before her professional career, Carleton was an NCAA women’s basketball player at Iowa State, where she earned many honours, including an All-American and the school’s second-place all-time leading scorer with 2,142 points.

Carleton, played basketball in high school with the McGregor Panthers, where her mom Carrie was head coach.

A two-time Olympian, Carleton currently represents Canada on the international stage as a member of the Canadian Senior National Team.