As we first reported in The Athletic, The Valkyries are taking Kate Martin from the Las Vegas Aces.
Martin will arguably be the most popular player taken by Golden State om Friday. The 2024 rookie out of Iowa, where she helped Caitlin Clark lead the Hawkeyes to two consecutive trips to the national title game, had a strong start to her first WNBA season. As the Las Vegas Aces dealt with the absence of Chelsea Gray, Martin averaged 19.3 minutes over her first ten games and made 37 percent of her 3-pointers.
However, Martin saw less court time as the Aces returned to full health, cracking double-digit minutes only twice in the second half of the season. Her postseason minutes consisted of one appearance in a blowout. Las Vegas was always going to protect its core four of A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Gray in the draft, but Martin could have been one of the final two players. Instead, Martin will start the second chapter of her WNBA career with the Valkyries, and the expansion team will benefit from the three remaining cost-controlled seasons on her rookie deal.
Golden State Valkyries to pick Kate Martin, Kayla Thornton in Friday’s expansion draft: Sources
