Kate Martin’s WNBA journey has taken another unexpected turn, but the timing of this latest development is what makes it especially striking. With the Los Angeles Sparks already nearing the end of a disappointing season, Martin appeared to have something positive to celebrate away from the WNBA court. But just an hour later, her time with the Sparks came to an end.

Unrivaled, the 3×3 league, recently announced that the 26-year-old would be returning for her third season on a multi-year deal. Martin quickly shared that news on her Instagram Stories with a simple “Yayyy.” However, about an hour later, the Sparks announced that they were waiving her.

The move comes with Los Angeles sitting at 14-25 and 11th in the WNBA standings, with only five games remaining in the regular season. The Sparks’ playoff hopes are already over, so their decision to reshape the roster this late in the season is all the more surprising.

Kate Martin has yet to address the end of her time in Los Angeles publicly, but this marks the second time this season that a WNBA team has moved on from her.

After being selected by the Golden State Valkyries from the Las Vegas Aces in last year’s expansion draft, Martin was waived by Golden State just days before the 2026 regular season began. She eventually found her place with the Sparks on a player-development contract, where Martin was later activated for 17 games. Her opportunities, however, remained limited. She averaged 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 7.1 minutes per game, all while shooting 37.1% from the field and 30.8% from three. Those numbers are the lowest production of her WNBA career.

Late in the season, her lack of playing time became a talking point. On August 20, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said, “Ownership wants to see the bench play.” That seemed to open the door for players like Martin to receive more opportunities. Instead, she played only four minutes against the Atlanta Dream.

“I love Kate. She’s an incredible member of this team. The rotations are tough with the amount of guys we have in that position… There’s a lot of players, and so it’s hard to play 12 people,” Roberts said during a practice session after the game against the Dream, per a YouTube video from John W. Davis.

When Roberts was asked whether Kate Martin having more experience in the league than some of the younger players meant the coaching staff had more information to evaluate her on, she acknowledged that was also a factor.

“Yeah, there’s some of that for sure.”

Her departure now has opened another spot on the Sparks’ active roster. Los Angeles was awarded second-year forward Aaliyah Nye off waivers to replace her. Nye had spent this season with the Atlanta Dream before being waived to make room for veteran DeWanna Bonner.

The Sparks also moved on from third-year forward Alissa Pili, who had been playing under one of the WNBA’s new development contracts.

With Kate Martin back on the waiver wire, attention will naturally turn toward where she could land next. One team that will inevitably draw speculation is the Indiana Fever, largely because of Martin’s Iowa connection with Caitlin Clark. The Fever are heading toward the playoffs, so this possibility is definitely intriguing on paper.

Realistically, though, adding Martin right now would be difficult. Indiana’s 12-player roster is already set, while both developmental spots are occupied as well. For the Fever to bring Martin in, they would first need to open a roster or developmental spot. So that leaves Martin with another path to keep building her case.

The good news is that her basketball journey is not stopping with the Sparks. Her multi-year Unrivaled deal gives her another platform to play alongside some of the best talent in women’s basketball, and a strong showing there could help her re-enter the WNBA conversation heading into 2027.