Valkyries waive six players, including draft-night acquisition Marta Suarez
Six days ahead of their WNBA season opener, the Golden State Valkyries alleviated their roster crunch Saturday by waiving six players - including Marta Suarez, the Cal alum they acquired in a surprising draft-night trade with Seattle.
The Valkyries could keep Suarez on their roster if she clears waivers. WNBA teams are allowed to sign two players to "developmental spots" this season, in addition to 12 players on the standard roster. Those two developmental players can practice with the team and be activated for up to 12 games, akin to players on two-way contracts in the NBA.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, about two hours before the team announced its cuts, head coach Natalie Nakase addressed the looming roster crunch.
"Everyone has been impressive from top to bottom - learning, wanting to be here, challenging each other every single day," Nakase said. "So it's definitely going to be a hard decision. But at the end of the day we've got to pick the best 14 (players) who fit together. Yeah, it's really going to be tough."
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Last month's deal involving Suarez stirred significant blowback, partly because the Valkyries relinquished former LSU star Flau'jae Johnson. They had selected her with the No. 8 overall choice in the draft. Golden State then sent Johnson to the Storm for Suarez, the first pick in the second round (No. 16 overall), and a 2028 second-round pick.
Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin added to the mystery by declining to answer questions about the trade on draft night (April 13).
Nyanin eventually did address the trade, saying Suarez was a "great fit" with the Valkyries and Nakase. Nyanin added, "Marta is fierce, she's fearless."
Suarez, a 6-foot-3 forward, started her college career at Tennessee before playing two seasons at Cal and then transferring to Texas Christian for her final year. She averaged 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds last season for TCU.
The other five players Golden State waived Saturday were center Mariella Fasoula, forward Cate Reese and guards Ashlon Jackson, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda and Miela Sowah. Jackson, from Duke, was the team's second-round draft choice. She's also a logical candidate for one of the developmental spots.
For the moment, Kokoro Tanaka, a 20-year-old guard from Japan selected in the third round (38th overall), counts as the only Valkyries player left among their draft choices this year. Tanaka is not expected to play for Golden State this season as she competes for the Japanese national team.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 7:11 PM.