So, the Golden State Valkyries really cut Marta Suárez after trading away Flau’jae Johnson?

Marta Suárez. | NBAE via Getty Images

After turning in the most successful expansion season in WNBA history, the Golden State Valkyries proved they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

And yet, they also make it irresistible to doubt their decisions.

On Saturday, Golden State made a group of training camp cuts that included Marta Suárez, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft whom the Valkyries acquired from the Seattle Storm in exchange for No. 8 overall-pick Flau’jae Johnson. Golden State also received a 2028 second-round pick in the trade.

Last year, the Valkyries were subjected to significant scrutiny after they waived Shyanne Sellers, selected No. 17 overall in the 2025 draft, before their first preseason game. They subsequently were criticized for cutting Kaitlyn Chen, drafted No. 30 overall last year, before later re-signing her to replace Julie Vanloo, whom they controversially waived as she returned from winning EuroBasket Women gold with Belgium.

It’s all a bit messy. And while on-court victories matter more than off-court ones, better pubic relations messaging and massaging by the organization could alleviate some of the perceived “controversy” of their decision making.

But, here we are again.

Yes, it’s relatively normal for a WNBA team to cut a second-round pick. It’s less explicable when an organization seemed to signal that they were “hella’ invested in Suárez. In contrast to the Sellers pick, when the Maryland product somewhat surprisingly slid to No. 17, Golden State appeared to intentionally target Suárez as an undervalued prospect.