The Los Angeles Sparks have recently seen a lot of roster movement, and it has left familiar faces looking for their next opportunities. Kate Martin and Alissa Pili were both released by the team as LA reshaped its roster by bringing in new talent. Now, head coach Lynne Roberts has explained the moves.
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During a press conference ahead of the Sparks’ game against the Seattle Storm on August 30, the coach explained the team’s moves over the past 24 hours, including bringing in Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, Aaliyah Nye, and Shyanne Sellers, while admitting that questions with nuance should be directed to the front office.
“At the end of the day, there’s business decisions made,” she told reporters, according to a post from Justin Russo on X.
She first talked about Pili, saying, “Alissa Pili… who obviously I coached in college; she’s someone I care deeply about. But she wasn’t getting the opportunity. And [this will] give her a chance to, she’s going to play overseas. I think she needs to play.”
Pili, a third-year forward, had been on a developmental contract with LA this season after first joining the team last year, but hadn’t made a real impact on the floor. Over five games, she has averaged two points and 2.2 rebounds in eight minutes per game.
Pili and Roberts, like the coach mentioned, have a history dating back to their college careers, with Roberts having coached her when Pili joined Utah for the final two seasons of her college career. Pili averaged an outstanding 21.1 points and 6.1 rebounds over 65 games during that period.
Roberts also spoke about Martin, who was also waived around the same time as Pili.
“Kate Martin, I adore,” she explained. “She is just an unbelievable teammate and coachability. Loved coaching her, having her on our team. But, again, we were looking at just the minutes, and with the veterans we have and the young guys that we need to see, she wasn’t getting the opportunity. There wasn’t minutes there. And so, give an opportunity for her to get picked up by someone where maybe she has more of an opportunity.”
Kate Martin had become a fan favorite in LA and was one of the team’s biggest success stories before the waiver. Martin joined the team this season on a developmental contract after parting ways with the Golden State Valkyries during the offseason. Her contributions were deemed important enough that she became the first player in team history to transition from the Developmental Pool to the active roster on July 6.
“Kate has made a meaningful impact on our group both on and off the court,” Sparks GM Raegan Pebley had said in a July 6 Sparks’ press release. “She brings versatility on both ends of the floor, competes at a high level and consistently puts the team first. We’re excited to see her continue to grow.”
During her time in LA, Kate Martin averaged 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds over 7.1 minutes in 17 games.
Despite the two of them being cut, Roberts was confident that both of them would eventually find their place in the league.
“I called both of them after I knew that they had a discussion with the front office, and just expressed my love for them and appreciation. I talked to both of them and just told them I loved them and appreciated them and this isn’t the end of their journey. They’ll be back in the league and I’m grateful for what they gave me and all that they gave their teammates.”
Now, the team has replaced them with Aaliyah Nye, whom they signed off waivers after she was let go by the Atlanta Dream, as well as Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda and Shyanne Sellers on developmental contracts. None of them made their first appearance against the Storm, which means that they’ll join the team after the three-week-long break for the FIBA World Cup.