The Portland Fire should hire Phoenix Mercury assistant coach Kristi Toliver as the franchise's first head coach ahead of the 2026 season. Throughout her coaching career, Tolliver has spent years learning from some of the best minds in the NBA and WNBA. While still playing in the WNBA, she began coaching in the NBA as an assistant for the Washington Wizards, then the Dallas Mavericks. Toliver became the first active player to be an assistant coach before retiring in 2023. Pursuing her new role as a full-time assistant for the Mercury, she has been a major contributor to their playoff run. Toliver would be the perfect candidate as the head coach of the Fire due to her strong sideline presence and extensive knowledge of the game.

As Portland begins the process of selecting a head coach, there are many qualified candidates, including Toliver. Fire General Manager, Vanja Černivec (Cher-NEE-vehts), will be in charge of choosing a head coach and building the roster. Černivec has identified her ideal candidate as a great leader and a great problem solver in times of difficulty.

“[I’m] definitely looking [for] someone that’s going to be a strong leader with a huge basketball IQ, and will empower players to make decisions on their own,” Černivec said in her introductory press conference. “I’m looking for someone who will build the environment where players will be encouraged to be problem solvers, not a coach that will try to give all the solutions to players….”

When evaluating these qualifications, Toliver is the right person to lead the Fire in their first season in the WNBA. Although she typically sits next to Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts (Tib-bits) during games, she is always willing to aid in maximizing the potential of everyone on the roster. While learning from coaches like Scott Brooks and Jason Kidd in the NBA, Toliver provided a player’s perspective in decision-making, and for the younger players on each team. Her playing experience also makes her a great leader, winning championships as the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Sparks and Washington Mystics in 2016 and 2019, respectively. With Portland entering the league as an expansion team, the right leader must be ready to take charge as they navigate through uncertainty.

Following the selection of a head coach, the Fire will build the team through the expansion draft. Although the roster is unknown, there will likely be many young players on it. With Portland starting their team from scratch, Toliver would be able to lead a young roster while unleashing their full potential. The Fire have zero expectations heading into their first season, but that doesn’t mean success can’t be achieved right away. The last expansion team to have success in their first season was the Golden State Valkyries, of whom Černivec was a major part. Now with Portland, Černivec knows how important selecting a head coach can be to immediate success.

Last season, the Valkyries became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. Golden State was led by Natalie Nakase (Nuh-KAH-say), who cultivated a roster full of different role players into a postseason team in her first season as a head coach. Her work with the Valkyries was widely recognized, as she was named the WNBA’s Coach Of The Year. While Nakase’s efforts with Golden State are hard to replicate, the Fire could learn from her immediate impact. As Černivec attempts to recreate the Valkyries' history with Portland, hiring Toliver as the head coach is the right move to bring the fire back to the City of Roses.