Kate Martin’s return to ‘Ballhalla’ after her preseason waiver was both emotional and underwhelming. While her team, the Los Angeles Sparks, faced a blowout loss, the welcome she received from the crowds stood out. On a brighter note, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase had also chimed in to make Martin’s return special.

In a pregame interview, Nakase shared major props about Martin’s tenacity on the court, even calling her a part of the ‘family’ approximately 40 days after waiving her off. But WNBA analyst Grant Young isn’t buying into these comments completely, as he raises some plausible questions.

“Natalie Nakase’s comments about Kate Martin last night made the Valkyries’ decision to waive her a lot more interesting,” Young said. “Nakase was asked about Martin before the Valkyries played the Sparks last night and said that the team misses her ruthlessness, energy, and that she’s family. I found this interesting because Martin didn’t leave in free agency or request for a trade. But the Valkyries decided to waive her.”

Kate Martin was officially waived off on May 7 by the Golden State Valkyries despite an impressive outing against the Seattle Storm in the preseason game. Martin recorded 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Notably, Martin had a decent season for the Valkyries last season as well. She was averaging a little over 6 points per game and 2.7 rebounds while coming off the bench.

Thus, Young certainly raises the question: if the Valkyries’ head coach was so impressed with Martin’s skill set, why did they release her in the first place?

“These comments naturally raise the question if Martin was just valued internally, why isn’t she still on the Valkyries roster?” Young said. “For one, it would be naive to think that Nakase is going to badmouth Martin at any moment. But I also think she is being genuine.”

“And I think the real truth to this is that roster construction is often more complicated than just determining whether a player’s good,” he added. “Nakase’s comments reiterated what fans already know about Martin. Her impact on teams doesn’t always show up in the box score, but it’s still very felt.”

At the moment, it’s certain that the Valkyries waived off Martin to free up roster space. Furthermore, Martin’s departure might also be tied to the team’s financial constraints. So, Nakase repeating these same facts yet again just doesn’t make sense in the first place.

From a wider angle, Natalie Nakase’s anecdote about Kate Martin is heartwarming. But it doesn’t completely fit into the narrative, especially when it was the Valkyries who waived off Martin, and it wasn’t the other way around. That’s what Young is trying to point out here.

Nevertheless, the return was a heartfelt moment for the former Valkyries guard. After all, it’s the same team and people she represented for an entire season. And she didn’t hesitate to put it out in the media.

Kate Martin Makes Her Feelings Known on Her Return to the Chase Center

Kate Martin has never been a constant in any team across her WNBA career. In her third year in the league, Martin has already suited up for three teams. But those memories of Ballhalla are still alive in Martin’s psyche.

“It’s still pretty fresh,” Martin said before the Golden State Valkyries game, as per Kenzo Fukuda of ClutchPoints. “I don’t know if it’s something you ever like fully get over. I don’t know. It’s a big part of my life. And I think, as professional athletes, you’re just supposed to like move on and like not let things like show emotion or let things affect you.”

In the game, Kate Martin just got 11 minutes on the court. She made good use of them, recording 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, as per ESPN. Furthermore, Martin also had a plus-minus of +2 in the game, suggesting her impact on the team.

However, it was far from enough on the night. Martin’s former team doubled down on the defense, limiting the LA Sparks to just 58 points. The Valkyries clinched a mammoth 20-point win.

Meanwhile, the Sparks lost the game after winning three on the trot in the last few weeks. For Martin, this game marked her 9th game for the Sparks. Per the terms of the developmental contract, Martin can play just three more games for them. It will be interesting to see how her future with the LA Sparks unfolds over the remainder of the season.