The Los Angeles Sparks waived Kate Martin on Saturday and brought in Aaliyah Nye, a roster move that left Martin without a team again. It is a sharp turn for a player who had already been cut once this year, then given another chance in Los Angeles.
Martin’s path to this point has been anything but ordinary. The WNBA drafted her in 2024, after she went to the draft to support Caitlin Clark and ended up being selected herself. She later surfaced again in the expansion draft ahead of the 2025 season, only to be waived by the Golden State Valkyries this year before the Sparks picked her up as a developmental player and then moved her onto a regular-season contract.
That second life in Los Angeles did not last long. Martin had seen her minutes drop significantly in recent weeks, and last week Lynne Roberts said the team was still working through different rotations to figure out which combination of players worked best ahead of next year. Saturday’s move showed how quickly that evaluation can turn into a decision, with the Sparks choosing to make room for Nye instead.
The swap also reflects the kind of churn that can define the back end of a WNBA roster. Nye had been waived by the Atlanta Dream after the team picked up DeWanna Bonner for the rest of the season, which opened the door for Los Angeles to make the change. For Martin, the immediate question is whether another team sees enough to bring her back, either on a developmental deal or on a contract for its 2027 roster. For now, though, she is once again searching for a landing place after a brief run with the Sparks.
