Kate Martin has been a WNBA fan favorite since she was drafted in 2024, a surprise pick by the Las Vegas Aces in the second round. Martin spent her rookie season with the Aces before she was picked up by the Golden State Valkyries as part of their expansion draft ahead of the 2025 season. The Valkyries waived Martin earlier this season, and she was picked up by the Los Angeles Sparks.
While her fans had high hopes for the Los Angeles placement, things haven't really worked out in Martin's favor. Martin played a handful of minutes on July 22, and then didn't hit the court again until August 18. On August 20 she played four minutes for the Sparks against the Atlanta Dream. While speaking to reporters this week, head coach Lynne Roberts said that's partly because the team is rotating bench players to see who works well for the 2027 season, but didn't offer a picture of the whole story.
Roberts told reporters on Monday, "I love Kate. She's an incredible member of this team. You know, the rotations are tough with the amount of guys we have in that position... there's a lot of players."
When a reporter pointed out that there's plenty of metrics and data to be culled from Martin's previous seasons in the WNBA — unlike a lot of rookies who joined the league this season — Roberts agreed, but didn't push the issue further.
There are a handful of ways you could look at this update: either it means that Martin is part of the group of players the Sparks already know they want to keep, and they aren't playing her because they don't need to see anything else... or it means Martin isn't going to be on the roster next season, and the team is focused on the players that will be. It could also mean another third option that the team's front office is privy to and the rest of us aren't, which isn't a far-fetched idea.
Martin has demonstrated the ability to compete at the WNBA level, and she also brings a strong cohort of fans who are always willing to buy jerseys and cheer her on no matter what team she's playing for. While there are a lot of people who would love to see her back in Las Vegas or San Francisco, anywhere in the WNBA will work, too.
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