Valkyries Coach Natalie Nakase Shares Emotional Reason for Waiving Kate Martin

Natalie Nakase and the Golden State Valkyries opened their second WNBA season on Friday night as they faced Sonia Raman and the Seattle Storm on the road at Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle, WA). The Valkyries enter the regular season after just a one-game preseason, defeating the Storm 78-76 on April 25.

Last season, in their inaugural year, Golden State finished with a 23-21 record, earning the No. 8 seed in the playoffs before being swept in two games by the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx. The Valkyries were led by All-Star forward Kayla Thornton, who averaged a team-high 14.0 points per game. However, entering the 2026 season, Golden State will be without one of its fan favorites from last year.

$Golden State Valkyries guard <a class="link " href="https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/players/10181/" data-i13n="sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link" data-ylk="slk:Kate Martin;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0" data-yga="{"yLinkElement":"context_link","yModuleName":"content-canvas","yLinkText":"Kate Martin","ySubModuleName":"anchor_text","yHasCommerce":false}">Kate Martin</a> (20) looks on during a game.Eakin Howard-Imagn Images$ Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin (20) looks on during a game.Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Kate Martin, after spending her college career alongside Caitlin Clark at the University of Iowa, was selected by the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of the 2024 WNBA Draft. During her rookie year with Las Vegas, Martin earned a solid role off the bench, averaging 11.5 minutes per game in 34 games played.

But Martin was later selected by the Valkyries in the expansion draft, joining Golden State for its inaugural 2025 season. The guard saw an expanded role with her new team, averaging 6.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game across 42 appearances. However, ahead of the 2026 season, the Valkyries opted for a change, waiving Martin during their final roster cuts.

Ahead of Golden State’s 2026 season-opener against the Storm, Nakase opened up about waiving Martin, admitting that it was an emotional decision, one that caused “a lot of heartache.”

“It was very emotional, a lot of heartache,” Nakase said. “Kate was our family member and someone we cared about deeply. And we still do care deeply about Kate… It’s very hard because we are trying to construct the best team.”

Following the matchup against Seattle, the Valkyries will be back in action on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET, hosting Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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