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OAKLAND – The Marta Suarez saga has reached its conclusion.
The player at the center of the Valkyries’ stunning draft day trade that sent LSU star Flau’jae Johnson to Seattle signed a developmental contract with the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, four days after being waived by Golden State.
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Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin broke her silence about the trade on Tuesday, citing cap space implications as the driving factor behind the swap.
When asked if the Valkyries were considering bringing Suarez back on a developmental contract, Nyanin didn’t give an explicit answer. On Wednesday, any possibility of a reunion disappeared once Suarez agreed to a deal with Phoenix, closing the book on one of the Valkyries’ most scrutinized roster decisions of the offseason.
“We considered everybody. I can say that,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said Wednesday at the team’s practice facility in Oakland. “At the end of the day, I’m not in those exact conversations because my job is to make sure I get the 14 that we’re going to finalize. It’s my job to make sure we’re going to be a winning product on the court.”
The writing was on the wall for Suarez when the former Cal standout cleared waivers Tuesday morning and was still not picked up by the Valkyries.
Golden State filled one of its two developmental roster spots on Wednesday as it signed former Duke point guard and training camp invitee Miela Sowah.
Sowah exploded for 14 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the 3-point line in Golden State’s preseason win over Seattle on April 25.
“You can feel her energy and positivity,” Nakase said of Sowah. “You feel her wanting to be here so much, her work ethic, her just being a great teammate, and she really wants to do whatever it takes to help us win.”
Sowah will be paid a stipend each week and receive a prorated payout for every game she plays this season. Sowah can play in a maximum of 12 of the Valkyries’ 44 regular-season games.
The Australian-born sharpshooter could very well be activated for the Valkyries’ two games this weekend as Kate Martin is considered day-to-day with a Grade 2 quad strain while Illiana Rupert has been out sick for the last few practices. Rookie Justė Jocytė is not expected to play in Golden State’s first few games as she fulfills international commitments.
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Nakase, however, has not made an official decision on Sowah’s availability for the Valkyries’ season opener at Seattle on Friday and home opener against the Mercury on Sunday.
“That’ll be a game-time decision,” Nakase said. “She looked great today. She obviously had a lot of energy, so she was ready to go.”
Wednesday was the Valkyries’ last practice before they have to make the roster final by 2 p.m. on Thursday. There is still some uncertainty as to who will make the final few spots as well as who will take up the last developmental spot.
Forward Laeticia Amihere is in a battle for a spot as she was brought in on a training camp contract. While certainly a talented player with much-needed athleticism, Amihere is competing for a spot behind a crowded front court that includes Rupert and veteran center Kiah Stokes, as well as forwards Gabby Williams, Kayla Thronton, Janelle Salaün, Kaila Charles and Cecilia Zandalasini.
Amihere didn’t have much to say during her media availability after Wednesday’s practice when asked if she feels like she did enough to make the team.
“That’s up to the coaches. I think that I’m just focused on doing what I can on the court,” she said.
Point guard Kaitlyn Chen is also a player on the fringes as she is also on a training camp contract, though she does fit a need on the roster. Golden State does not have a traditional backup point guard behind starter Veronica Burton, with 36-year-old Tiffany Hayes as the only player to have had primary ball handling duties in the past.
If both Chen and Amihere hit the waiver wire, it is likely that another team would sign them out right.
“Every day changes, and every day I see something that we need and some things that I don’t need,” Nakase said of how she sees filling out the roster. “It all comes together with how the offense is going and how the defense is going. So when I literally say that every possession, every drill, my mind does change rapidly, it does because we want those 14 players to fill everything that we need in terms of longevity of the season.”
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 5:01 PM.