The Las Vegas Aces faced significant criticism from their fanbase for the limited playing time given to rookie guard Kate Martin during the WNBA Playoffs and regular season. Following the team’s elimination, Aces head coach Becky Hammon said that changes would happen to keep the team competitive, suggesting that the roster would look different next season.

Despite the Aces winning Game 3 of their series against the New York Liberty, Martin played just three minutes and didn’t record any stats, leading to fan frustration. The Aces lost to the Liberty in four games, ending the Vegas hunt to win three titles in a row.

After the loss, a not-so-happy Hammon spoke to the media and was honest about her team’s performance in the series. After admitting that the Liberty were the best team in the league, the head coach confirmed that next year’s roster would look different following offseason moves.

“We’re going to have to get together and figure it out. Obviously, we have to get better. We have to really take a sharp look at ourselves. Look ourselves in the mirror, see our shortcomings, and then you gotta make the moves necessary. Whatever that means,” she said.

“It’s not going to be the same group probably next year, it just won’t,” she admitted. “And I’m sad about that because I really like that group. They’re a pain in my — but I was a pain in their — too. I like that group. I love that group.”

Martin logged the fewest minutes for the Aces in the postseason, and her regular season playing time wasn’t much different. With only 2.6 minutes per game, Martin’s time on the court only surpassed that of a few active roster members, Sydney Colson and Kiah Stokes.

Other players like Emma Cannon, Jessika Carter, and Dyaisha Fair also had brief stints with the Aces before being released as free agents. The three players combined for just 7.8 minutes of playing time before being released from the team. Martin’s supporters have been vocal online that the team needs to either play Caitlin Clark’s college teammate or send her to another franchise. Some fans even suggest that the two ex-Iowa players link up again, but this time as players for the Indiana Fever.

One fan wrote, “Hey Aces, If you don’t have sense enough to play Kate Martin, send to the Indiana Fever,” while another WNBA fan complained on X and said, “Someone please free Kate Martin.”

The tweet continued, saying, “They literally drafted her as a pawn to get attention because of her closeness to Caitlin. They gave her minutes for as long as they had to to keep people’s attention and then she’s barely played since.” Martin’s popularity was evident, as her No. 20 jersey was the fourth-best-selling jersey of the season, behind Clark, Angel Resse, and Sabrina Ionescu. The Aces guard’s jersey reportedly outsold league MVP A’ja Wilson.