Kate Martin signed a developmental contract with the Chicago Sky this week, just days after she confirmed she will play in the third season of Unrivaled and after the Los Angeles Sparks announced the team's decision to waive her. Martin, like many WNBA players before her and surely many after her, has experienced quite a few teams so far during her short career in the league.
This move will reunite Martin with a coach she worked with when she was on the Golden State Valkyries last season — the Sky's head coach, Tyler Marsh. Both he and the Valkyries' head coach Natalie Nakase formerly worked as assistant coaches for the Las Vegas Aces (the team that originally drafted Martin in 2024).
When the WNBA returns from the two-week FIBA World Cup break, the Sky will have four games left in the regular season: they'll play the Washington Mystics on September 17, the Atlanta Dream on September 19, the Toronto Tempo on September 22, and the Washington Mystics again on September 24. It's unclear at this point if Martin will be activated for those games, but the Sky recently announced Skylar Diggins will miss the rest of the season, so there is definitely a possibility that she will.
The Sparks originally signed Martin to a developmental contract on May 10, three days after she was waived by the Valkyries. She was upgraded to a standard contract on July 6 and saw her minutes incrase. But that didn't remain the case, and in August head coach Lynne Roberts seemed to evade questions about Martin's viability on the team. She ultimately played in 17 games for the Sparks.
Martin's future on the Sky is anything but certain. Besides not knowing if she'll be activated for any of the team's final four games, it's also not clear if the Sky plans to re-sign Martin for the 2027 season. Chicago is in a state of flux at the moment, with many calling for new leadership and coaches due to a lackluster season that failed to produce any results of note.
Having Martin on the team could be something of a boon for Chicago, should they keep her around next season. She's known for being a strong role player and someone who is always supportive of her teammates, and she also brings in a built-in fanbase from her collegiate years in Iowa — there are plenty of fans who would make the drive to see her play.
Add us as a preferred source on Google