The 2026 WNBA season was a brutal one for Kate Martin. She was waived by the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks before finishing the season on a development contract with the Chicago Sky. Her WNBA future suddenly became very uncertain, as she struggled to stick with a team and stand out among a deep pool of role players looking to make it in the W.
Martin made the perfect offseason choice to change that. Instead of playing in Unrivaled, where she would be a fringe role player among stars and spend most of her time on the bench, she is on track to join the Bendigo Spirit in the WNBL.
Plenty of players have spent their offseason in the WNBL and returned to their WNBA teams as much improved contributors. One of the most recent WNBL success stories is Martin’s former teammate Veronica Burton. She played in the WNBL right before her breakout season with the Valkyries. Naz Hillmon and Han Xu are other players who benefitted from playing in Australia. Even three-time champion and All-WNBA player Jackie Young played for the Perth Lynx before returning to the W with a much improved 3-point shot and earning the 2022 Most Improved Player award.
Playing in Australia could have a similar effect on Martin. She may not come back ready to be a WNBA star, but she can improve her stock as a role player after a season or two in the WNBL.
Martin needs in-game reps more than anything
Kate Martin never got to see the court much in the WNBA. She averaged just 11.5 minutes per game across 34 contests in her rookie season. The year after, her role grew, as she averaged around 16 minutes for the Valkyries, but that stretch didn’t last nearly long enough. Martin only played in 19 games this season and logged a total of 146 minutes.
Martin didn’t get a ton of reps in Unrivaled either. In 2025, she played in just six games, logging around 78 minutes total. She was more available in 2026, appearing in 13 games, but often didn’t even play ten minutes for the Breeze.
Hopefully, Martin can earn more minutes in the WNBL, work through mistakes, and gain confidence. She is one of three players on the Spirit’s roster who have recently played in the WNBA. The other two are Isobel Borlase and Jade Melbourne. While that doesn’t mean minutes are guaranteed, other leagues tend to value WNBA experience.
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