This season, Kate Martin, a guard for the Golden State Valkyries, has made 26 appearances. The Las Vegas Aces selected the former Iowa Hawkeyes player 18th overall, and she is currently in her second WNBA season. Under first-year head coach Natalie Nakase, Martin—the sixth player Golden State selected in the Expansion Draft—was anticipated to be a key member of the rotation. Martin has not been a mainstay of the rotation in recent weeks, despite starting the season opener and getting more playing time since her debut season.
Due to Golden State’s injury problems, Martin has played at least 20 minutes in three straight games, though her role had been progressively reducing before this. There is talk about Kate Martin’s future in the WNBA. Marisa Ingemi of the San Francisco Chronicle observed the shift at Golden State after Martin’s DNP-CD against the Dallas Wings last month.
”Despite the short bench, head coach Natalie Nakase didn’t play guard Kate Martin at all in Friday’s victory,” she informed me. Before being waived by the Valkyries, Forward Stephanie Talbot was treated similarly. Only Martin has been healthy-scratched for multiple games. She is also bound by a contract, which means the Valkyries could use her as a foundational player in the long run.
The Golden State Valkyries Ingemi’s research and its implications for Martin and the Valkyries were highlighted on SI. After that story reached X, WNBA fans started requesting that Golden State and the Indiana Fever trade so that Martin could rejoin her old college teammate Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin should rejoin the Indiana Fever, according to WNBA fans. After playing together for four seasons at Iowa, Clark and Martin are still good friends. In response to this article, a number of WNBA fans expressed their support for the two second-year guards to reunite. Someone said, “Recreate Iowa.” “I hope this happens,” a fan wrote.
Kate and CC already have a strong chemistry, and she can play 1-4. I think FO does this. “Let’s see.” Another commenter said, “I think it would be a smart move.” “Kate can shoot threes and is a good defender. Kate and CC getting back together would be amazing. Another person stated, “Caitlin wants to work with Kate again so there’s a possibility of them reuniting in one team.”
Despite Indiana’s depth at guard, Clark has only appeared in 13 games this season because of three different injuries. There is no indication that Golden State is thinking of selling its 25-year-old guard, but it might make sense to add a player like Martin as backcourt insurance. According to Spotrac, Martin has a club option worth over $85,000 after her current contract expires in 2027.
