News broke on Saturday that the Los Angeles Sparks waived Kate Martin. This marks the second time Martin has been waived by a WNBA team this season, as the Golden State Valkyries parted ways with her a few days before the regular season began.
And with the Sparks deciding to cut ties with Martin, a tough question about what Martin’s WNBA future will look like, if there is a future at all.
Earlier this week, comments that Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts made regarding Martin not getting much playing time in recent games got attention. Roberts essentially played it off by saying that the team is trying to evaluate its young players to see who they want to keep around in the future, and Martin wasn’t getting the same opportunities as other players because Los Angeles already knew what they had in her.
Perhaps that was true. If so, clearly the Sparks didn’t like what they thought they had.
Los Angeles Sparks guard Kate Martin (21) reacts against the Chicago Sky | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Why Kate Martin’s WNBA Outlook Might Be Bleak
Martin undoubtedly makes a good impression on coaches and teammates, as everyone in the league speaks glowingly about her. But that can only get a player so far when teams have to field the best, most talented rosters possible year in and year out.
Rebuilding franchises like the Sparks are going to prioritize younger, more talented players with higher ceilings than a 26-year-old Martin at this point. And while Martin has had stretches of solid contribution, she hasn’t gone a full season as an impact player off the bench for a WNBA team.
She’ll always have her name value, if only because she’s best friends with Caitlin Clark. And perhaps that will land her a role with the Indiana Fever. Still, even that might not be enough for her to sustain a WNBA role at what’s now a major crossroads in her career.
The good news for Martin is that she’s still signed to Unrivaled, which will allow her to showcase herself among the league’s elite. And a good showing this offseason could be enough to land her a spot on a WNBA roster for 2027.
But there’s a reason that second-round WNBA Draft picks so seldom make rosters as rookies: there’s too much talent for so few spots. Martin, who was the 18th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has already been an outlier and gone against the odds. She deserves a lot of credit for that, regardless of where she goes from here.
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