Coming in as the first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream in 2008, the Valkyries surely arrived with high expectations. Everyone was eyeing the roster they were going to build, so it made sense why the Valkyries started with 18 players before cutting it down to the final 12. “It is a result of the athletes that we want to put together,” shared head coach Natalie Nakase. But the final result, despite an extensive evaluation process from practice sessions to preseason games, and now the regular season opener, didn’t sit well with many across the WNBA community. Yet, it isn’t the head coach or the Valkyries organization that’s in the spotlight this time. Instead, it’s just one player—Kate Martin.

It all started when the Valkyries revealed their starting five for the season opener: Veronica Burton, Tiffany Hayes, Kate Martin, Kayla Thornton, and Temi Fagbenle. While most of the names were expected, Martin’s inclusion raised eyebrows. And there’s a reason for that.

When the former Las Vegas Aces guard was selected by the Valkyries in the expansion draft, she already had high expectations surrounding her. Why not? While she only managed 11.5 minutes and 2.6 points per game during the 2024 regular season in the 34 games she played for the Aces, it was her 91.7% free-throw percentage that stood out the most.

Honestly, things were going well for her before. Remember when Valkyries chose to bring Martin off the bench in the preseason opener? Yeah, no one was happy. The starting lineup then included Kayla Thornton, Veronica Burton, Temi Fagbenle, Monique Billings, and Tip Hayes. The backlash that the team faced then was probably enough to have Martin start now. The way the crowd went wild when she scored her first point in the Valkyries jersey was telling enough.

Yet, now that she is in the starting lineup, why are there no roars, no cheers? What changed?

Agitated fans knock off Kate Martin while reigniting the Valkyries roster debate.

As usual, fans dived into the comment section and didn’t hesitate to pen down their aggression. “WTF. Kate sucks lol,” one user wrote bluntly. Well, if you consider the fan base around Martin, such a response seems unexpected, especially since Becky Hammon named her “Money Martin,” as her jersey was one of the top sellers across the league.

Well, if you think her preseason performance might be the answer, we don’t know what to tell you. She played in just one game, as she had to sit out the other two owing to a hand injury. In that sole game, she sort of went back and forth as she scored eight points, three rebounds, and two steals on 2-for-8 shooting in 18 minutes of playtime. But then, can you really judge someone based on one preseason game?

As for her last season with the Aces, you know the team faced more criticism than she ever did. Her low average is partly because of how Coach Becky Hammon drastically reduced her playing time to a lucky number of five minutes. At times, it was less than that, and she didn’t play at all in five of those games. Now, as for her Unrivaled performance, it was decent too, and painted a positive picture of her future in the WNBA. The league brought out many of her skills that had buried in her stint with the Aces, which could also be why GSV Coach Natalie went after her.

So, as for performance on the court, nothing seems to be too glaring.

“One of those does not belong!” penned another spectator. Honestly, we don’t know, but it could be a case of misdirected anger. Ever since the roster cuts began, everyone had their fingers crossed for their favorite players. However, GSV slashed those hopes pretty brutally on Wednesday when they released five players, including forwards Laeticia Amihere and Chloe Bibby, guards Kaitlyn Chen and Migna Touré, and center Elissa Cunane, per Clutch Points’ Kenzo Fukuda.

While most of them were deserving, fans felt a bit off considering the ones who were waived, especially Kaitlyn Chen and Laeticia Amihere. Then there was Shyanne Sellers, too, who was waived in early May. The sad part is that Sellers didn’t even get a preseason game. “No one cares,” penned another user, reflecting disappointment.

Following Laeticia Amihere’s cut, there was especially more criticism, as fans even angrily asked someone to investigate their front office.“Amihere is better,” wrote a user.

Well, Amihere probably had one of the best performances in the preseason games. She dropped 20 points against the Spark and averaged 12.5 points across the three games, shooting an efficient 60% from the field and 50% from three-point range. How does one let go of a player like that? Some even pointed out that to make a popular identity, they are going after players like Martin (Who has been a fan favorite. We don’t know about now. You tell us), and a potential Juju Watkins pick that they might snatch in two years. But then the obvious question comes to mind. Why not Chen?

“WDC they waived Chen. Bye,” penned another user. Everyone knew the kind of fan favorite Chen was. Remember how the crowd of 17,000 gave the loudest cheer when she stepped onto the court? Her jersey was already in the top 10, so wouldn’t she have brought great marketability? So, what happened to the ‘international’ identity? Anyway, none of these questions matter now.

“What does Kate Martin have on Cathy Engelbert? It’s not adding up,” penned another User. Well, this probably comes from how unexpectedly Martin got drafted when she had just come to support Caitlin Clark.

Anyway, it seems like the backlash against Martin stems from the fact that she was expected to come off the bench mostly, by some at least, and was supposed to be a backup guard for Tiffany Hayes. That further seemed more likely when she didn’t start the first preseason game (even though people didn’t like that as well, so we are confused too).