Valkyries guard Kate Martin out with Grade 2 right quad strain

OAKLAND - Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin is expected to miss at least a week with a Grade 2 right quad strain, the team announced on Tuesday.

She will be reevaluated in a week.

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said Martin felt soreness in her quad during Monday's practice. The third-year player did not participate in Tuesday's practice, but was present on the sidelines getting treatment.

A Grade 2 quad strain typically has a recovery timeline of three to six weeks, meaning Martin would miss next week's season opener and more. Nakase didn't give a timeline for when she expects Martin back, but said the guard is in good spirits.

"Kate knows no matter if you feel a little soreness or you're banged up, you're still here," Nakase said on Tuesday at the team's practice facility. "I told her to make sure that she is going to be the energy monitor. Today, she was on top of it because she brings so much energy.

"So without Kate in practice, she just made sure she was on the sidelines, underneath every huddle and just constantly cheering on her teammates. Kate knows the job and she's amazing."

Martin turned in a solid performance against Seattle on Saturday as a starter. She scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in 22 minutes. She hit two of her five 3-point attempts and dished out two assists.

Martin's injury comes at a crucial point in training camp as Golden State will have to cut down its roster as the team's May 8 opener gets closer. Martin, while a beloved player by the coaching staff and fans, is on a rookie-scale unprotected contract. That means the Valkyries can cut Martin without taking on a cap hit.

The former Iowa standout is set to make $293,510 this season, per Sportrac.

Warriors GM makes a visit

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy will have plenty to do this offseason between free agency, the draft and figuring out if Steve Kerr will be back on the sidelines or if he will have to find a new coach for the seven-time NBA champions.

But on Tuesday, Dunleavy made a stop at the Valkyries practice facility – a place he used to visit often when the Warriors used the same complex when he played for Golden State – to chop it up with Nakase and the Valkyries' players.

“It’s just great to pick his brain. Steve (Kerr) opened the doors to us. He had a lot of us in training camp as well," Nakase said. "We were discussing how things have changed for him since he used to be here. He’s like, ‘Wow, I used to practice here.' And now it's completely different. So he was just complimenting us on the fact that it’s changed in here, and it’s pretty much a Valkyrie home court now."

Valkyries make another cut

Golden State has made its second cut of training camp as it waived Caroline Ducharme on Tuesday.

The former Connecticut forward scored three points in the Valkyries’ win over Seattle on Saturday.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 3:22 PM.