Kate Martin played her 10th game with the Los Angeles Sparks Wednesday, and will presumably seem some court time during the team's match against the New York Liberty tonight. If so, that will push Martin right up against the 12-game limit for developmental players — and that's a reality that will force the Sparks to make a decision.
Developmental players can be activated for 12 games each season. The Sparks have played Martin regularly, which helps her earn a certain dollar amount each game. Once the team hits the 12-game mark, they'll have to release Martin or sign her to a rest-of-season contract.
Martin, who has often demonstrated the ability to adapt to her team's needs and goals instead of the other way around, has been pretty instrumental for the Sparks this season. She's learned to play a relatively new position at the 4, something she hasn't done since she was playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes in college. That versatility could be what keeps her on the team in the long run.
But there's something else that could make it tough for the Sparks to make that happen: the team has around $100,000 left in cap space, far below the new WNBA minimum. A rest-of-season contract would be prorated, but it's unclear if the amount would still exceed what the Sparks can offer.
Kate Martin's 2026 season has included some tough lows
Martin failed to make the roster for the Golden State Valkyries this season, just one year after the team drafted her as part of their Expansion Draft ahead of the 2025 season. She was drafted by the Las Vegas Aces in 2024. The Valkyries' decision also came too late for Martin to sign a regular contract with another team in the league, which mean she was stuck with a developmental spot.
The Sparks have a few choices to make. If they want to keep Martin, the most obvious decision would be to waive a bench player who hasn't seen as much clock — and, since teams can rotate through as many developmental players as they want assuming they all max out at 12 games, they could even re-sign that player in the spot Martin occupies next.
But Los Angeles could also choose to release Martin, which means another team would have to pick her up. There are spots in the WNBA that are open, at least theoretically, but hopefully it won't come to that for Martin (again).
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