Kate Martin will likely be playing for her third WNBA team in as many seasons.
The Golden State Valkyries waived Martin on Thursday as rosters are being trimmed and finalized ahead of the start of the WNBA’s regular season.
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During the preseason, Martin had been battling a right quad strain. She did tally eight points, seven rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes of actions against the Seattle Storm on April 25.
Martin — who played with superstar Caitlin Clark at Iowa — has become a bit of a fan favorite among WNBA fans during her two seasons in the league. Her underdog story began at the 2024 WNBA Draft, where she showed up with no expectation of being picked and was there to simply support Clark. But in the second round with the 18th overall pick, the Las Vegas Aces drafted Martin.
The 6-foot guard from Edwardsville, Illinois, had a decent rookie season, mostly coming off the bench for the then-two-time defending champs. Martin averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game while shooting 35% from 3-point land. She started twice for the Aces, averaging 10 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists across those two games.
Golden State liked Martin enough to select her with the sixth overall pick in their expansion draft ahead of the 2025 season. She started in four games and came off the bench in 38 others, averaging 6.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 16.4 minutes per game. Martin scored in double figures in 12 games for the Valkyries and shot 31% from 3-point range.
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Martin was seventh in both scoring and rebounding for Golden State last season, which made the playoffs in its first season in the WNBA.
At Iowa, Martin started in 139 of the 169 games she played in for the Hawkeyes. Alongside Clark, Martin was instrumental in helping Iowa reach back-to-back national title games. In her final two college seasons, the All-Big Ten selection shot 49% from the floor, 39% from 3-point land and 84% from the free throw line while averaging 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Waiving Martin is the latest newsy transaction the Valkyries have been involved in. Last week, the club waived both of its second round draft picks in Marta Suarez and Ashlon Jackson. Suarez joined the Phoenix Mercury on a developmental deal, while Jackson landed with the Connecticut Sun on a developmental deal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Iowa star Kate Martin waived by Golden State Valkyries
