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Golden State Valkyries waive Kate Martin during final roster cuts before 2026 WNBA season.
As the 2026 WNBA season gets underway, the Golden State Valkyries decided to part ways with Kate Martin. Following the news, head coach Natalie Nakase weighed in with her thoughts on the situation.
On May 7th, reports emerged that the Valkyries waived Martin. This comes after just one season with the franchise after they selected with the sixth pick in the expansion draft.
Ahead of Golden State’s season opener against the Seattle Storm, Nakase touched on Martin no longer being with the team. She admitted that it was a tough decision for the organization, as the third-year guard was beloved by many.
“It was very emotional, a lot of heartache. Kate was our family member and someone we cared about deeply. And we still do care deeply about Kate,” Nakase told reporters. “It’s very hard because we are trying to construct the best team.”
#Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase on waiving Kate Martin:
“It was very emotional, a lot of heartache. Kate was our family member and someone we cared about deeply. And we still do care deeply about Kate.
“It’s very hard because we are trying to construct the best team.”
In Martin’s lone season with the Valkyries, she averaged 6.2 PPG and 2.7 RPG across 42 appearances. She’ll now attempt to land on her third team in as many seasons.
Though the timing isn’t great, Martin finds herself with a tall task at hand. Now without a team, she has to quickly land with a new team in the midst of the regular season getting underway.
Not long after it was announced that the Valkyries waived Martin, Brigid Kennedy of Sports Illustrated broke down a handful of potential landing spots for the young guard. As expected, the Indiana Fever found themselves at the top of the list.
The Fever have been tossed around as a team to watch for Martin due to her ties to the franchise’s cornerstone talent. She and Caitlin Clark played alongside each other in college at Iowa, where they built a strong friendship. Now, many are clamoring for the two to reunite on the pro stage.
Aside from the Fever, other teams mentioned were the Las Vegas Aces (who drafted Martin in 2024) and the newly established Portland Fire.
As Martin attempts to find herself back on a WNBA roster, she will also look to get back to full health. Amid recent developments, she looks to be trending in the right direction.
While ramping up for the 2026 season, it was announced that Martin suffered a groin injury that kept her day-to-day. Before she was waived during final roster cuts, the team announced that she has made progress in the rehab process.
In the short term, Martin will have some time to continue the recovery process behind the scenes. She has 48 hours before clearing waivers. If she isn’t claimed in this timeframe, she hit the free agent market.
While she isn’t a star player, Martin still has a chance to land with a new team at some point this season. She has a lot of complementary skills, and has proven she can have a positive impact in any locker room. Only in her third year in the pros, a team could roll the dice on her in hopes of further unlocking her potential at the WNBA level.
Kevin McCormick is a veteran sports writer covering the NBA for Heavy.com. After writing for Heavy briefly in 2022, he's returned to the publication in 2026. McCormick brings with him over seven years of experience writing about the NBA in a newsroom and served as a credentialed reporter of the Philadelphia 76ers for 97.3 ESPN, ClutchPoints, and On SI. More about Kevin McCormick
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