Kate Martin has found a new landing spot. The third-year guard is joining the Los Angeles Sparks, three days after getting waived by the Golden State Valkyries.
Golden State announced that Martin had been waived on Thursday, shortly before announcing its official 13-player roster for 2026. Martin appeared to have just missed the cut.
Martin, who originally drafted by the Las Vegas Aces in 2024, was picked by the Valkyries in the expansion draft last year. She only started four games for Golden State in 2025, but was a key player off the bench, playing in 42 games and averaging 6.2 points per game across limited minutes.
Notably, Martin appears to have been waived in favor of second-year guard Kaitlyn Chen, who took a meandering path to the Valkyries’ 2026 final roster. Chen was unexpectedly drafted by Golden State last year in the third round, was waived before the start of the regular season and then was re-signed by the Valkyries last June.
In addition to Chen, Golden State’s crowded guard core is led by reigning WNBA Most Improved Player Veronica Burton and veteran Tiffany Hayes, plus two players, Justė Jocytė and Kaila Charles, who are listed on the roster as versatile guard-forwards. (Jocytė, though, is temporarily out due to overseas play.)
Miela Sowah, another guard, may have been the player to bump Martin off the Valkyries roster: The 25-year-old joined Golden State on a developmental contract earlier this week after years in Australia’s Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).