Valkyries HC Describes ‘Heartache' of Waiving Kate Martin

The Golden State Valkyries had an up-and-down offseason.

The Valkyries were announced as the most valuable franchise in the WNBA - Sportico said $850 million, CNBC said $1 billion - so that’s the good news.

But the Valkyries’ roster moves have been questionable. First, they selected former LSU star Flau’jae Johnson eighth overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft, only to trade her to Seattle in exchange for Marta Suarez within the hour. The trade got worse when the team waived Suarez.

If Golden State fans had started to wrap their minds around losing out on Johnson, they were triggered again when the Valkyries waived guard Kate Martin on Thursday.

Martin, a teammate of Caitlin Clark’s at Iowa, was drafted by the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of the 2024 draft. She immediately became a fan favorite in Vegas - even developing a handshake with A’ja Wilson - so Aces fans were sad to see her go to the Valkyries in the 2025 WNBA Expansion Draft. Unsurprisingly, she also immediately became a fan favorite in the Bay.

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase explained the rationale behind waiving Martin on Friday.

“It was very emotional, a lot of heartache,” Nakase said, per Nathan Canilao. “Kate was our family member and someone we cared about deeply. And we still do care deeply about Kate.”

According to Kenzo Fukuda, Nakase added that the Valkyries are “trying to construct the best team”:

As of this writing, Martin has not signed with another team yet.

The Valkyries finished 23-21 and became the first WNBA expansion franchise to make the playoffs in its inaugural season last year. They traveled to Seattle for their 2026 regular-season opener on Friday night.

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 7:54 PM.