Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 | 4:10 p.m.
Las Vegas Aces guard Kate Martin, who quickly became a fan favorite in her rookie season, is headed to San Francisco after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the WNBA expansion draft Friday.
“I’m really excited. This league is all about opportunity, and you just need one shot, right,” Martin said on ESPN. “I am very thankful for the Aces and everything I got to learn there, but I’m really excited for this new beginning and to build something from the ground up.”
Ahead of the draft, WNBA teams submitted a list of which six players they chose to protect and which ones were available to draft. Those lists are not made available to the public.
Golden State had the opportunity to select one player from every team’s draft list. It selected players from 11 out of 12 teams, passing on selecting a player from the Seattle Storm.
Martin had a memorable impact since the day she was unexpectedly drafted. She attended the 2024 WNBA Draft to support her University of Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark, who was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever.
With no expectations of being drafted, Martin was selected by the Aces in the second round, 18th overall. This season, she averaged 11.5 minutes and 2.6 points over 34 games and started once.
Martin was embraced by Aces fans quickly, greeted with roaring cheers when she checked into games and called themselves “Martinis.”
“The Aces organization first and foremost would like to thank Kate Martin for all of her hard work and dedication to the team this past year,” the Aces organization said in a statement. “We are proud of Kate and the impact she has made as a member of the Aces team. Although we are sad to see her leave, being selected by Golden State shows the value Kate possesses in this league, and we all wish her nothing but the best as she continues her career with the Valkyries.”
Martin will be somewhat familiar with San Francisco, as the Valkyries’ newly hired head coach, Natalie Nakase, spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Aces.
“Coach Nakase is somebody you’re gonna want to run through a brick wall for,” Martin said. “She’s a truth teller, she’s gonna be honest with you, but she matches that with love and support 100%. Those are the kind of coaches that you just want to give your all for.”
“I’m super grateful that we got to build a relationship in Las Vegas and we get to continue that in San Francisco.”
With Martin heading out, only one player from the Aces 2024 draft class remains with the team: Elizabeth Kitley. She was recovering from an ACL tear this past season and the Aces reserved her contract rights as one of two maximum inactive players.
Dyaisha Fair, the Aces 16th overall selection, played one game before being released in May. Angel Jackson, who was selected 36th overall, was waived by the Aces ahead of the start of the 2024 season.
It is doubtful this will be the last Aces move in the off-season, as Kelsey Plum, Alysha Clark, Tiffany Hayes and Sydney Colson are all free agents.
The biggest inquisition is whether the Aces will attempt to keep Plum. She was the only player out of the “core four,” which included A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Plum, who wasn’t re-signed.
Both of the Aces Sixth Player of the Year are up for grabs: Clark (2023 winner) and Hayes (2024 winner). Clark has been in the league for 12 years, which makes her the second oldest active player in the WNBA behind Diana Taurasi. Hayes came out of retirement in May to join the Aces.