The Golden State Valkyries are dealing with roster decisions and an injury to a key player just days before final roster selections.
Ducharme Waived as Roster Cuts Continue
The franchise is trimming their roster ahead of the May 7 cut-down deadline. The Valkyries need to carry 12 players into the 2026 season. They entered training camp with 21 players and have been reducing that number. Caroline Ducharme, a former UConn guard, is the latest player to be waived.
Ducharme’s WNBA career has been brief. She entered the league this month as an undrafted free agent. The Valkyries offered her a training camp contract on April 15, 2026. She appeared in one pre-season game against the Seattle Storm, recording 3 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in 7 minutes.
Ducharme’s college career at UConn faced significant disruptions due to head and neck injuries. She settled for a limited depth role even when she did return for a redshirt senior campaign. The team claimed to have brought her in to evaluate her high-IQ fit within their offensive system and to address a temporary shortage of camp bodies caused by international commitments.
The decision to release her was expected. However, the Valkyries also have to deal with Kate Martin’s injury.
Martin Injury Could Impact Start of Season
Kate Martin has been ruled out with a Grade 2 quad strain. That injury could sideline her for anywhere between three to six weeks. Kate Martin will almost certainly miss the opening games of the regular season.
Martin is a cornerstone of the Golden State setup. She’s a versatile, high-IQ guard and vocal leader that has a presence in the locker room and on the court. Losing her, even temporarily, is a blow to this Valkyries team.
The Valkyries announced on April 28 that there will be another formal re-evaluation on May 5. It will reveal whether her recovery is trending toward the shorter end of that window.
Martin’s Off-Court Role
Despite the injury, Kate Martin has remained a fully engaged and present force within the Golden State Valkyries setup. She has wasted no time in carving out a different kind of role.
According to head coach Natalie Nakase, the message to Martin was clear: find another way to contribute. Nakase revealed, “I said, ‘Make sure you are going to be the energy monitor.’” By Nakase’s account, Martin took that charge and ran with it.
The Valkyries will hope the news on May 5 is encouraging, because the Golden State team will definitely prefer to have her back as soon as possible.