During Selection Sunday, basketball fans received unexpected WNBA news. The New York Liberty have acquired veteran guard Natasha Cloud from the Connecticut Sun.
The New York Liberty added the missing piece to their defending championship aspirations Sunday night. The Connecticut Sun has agreed to trade veteran guard Natasha Cloud to the New York Liberty in exchange for the 2025 No. 7 pick and a future 2026 first-round pick.
As much as Cloud is looking forward to making the move to Brooklyn, the Liberty are just as ecstatic.
“We could not be more excited to welcome Natasha Cloud to the New York Liberty family,” said Jonathan Kolb, General Manager, New York Liberty. “Tash is someone who we identified years ago as a prime fit for our team and embodies everything we look for in a player.”
Cloud's stay with the Phoenix Mercury was short-lived, to say the least. After recruiting free agents to Phoenix in the offseason, she was traded to Connecticut as part of the Alyssa Thomas trade. Vocal all along, Cloud expressed the importance of communication in the work place.
Natasha Cloud's Powerful Voice In The WNBA
Imagine finding out you were being traded by text pic.twitter.com/TFCHl3hsMk
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) March 15, 2025
A guest on Udonis Haslem's and Mike Miller's OGs Podcast, Cloud, was admittedly blindsided by the trade to Connecticut. She spent most of her time at Unrivaled recruiting free agents to the valley. At 33 years old, the Mercury decided to ship her to a rebuilding franchise.
While she understands the WNBA is a business, Cloud found out about the news through an assistant coach. She expressed the desire to choose her next location at this stint in her career.
With Connecticut granting her wishes, Cloud gets a reboot with the reigning WNBA champions, and already took her feelings to social media.
"I'm so excited to be part of this organization", said Cloud on X. "Ya'll is hands down one of the fiercest fan tbases. You know what you're getting in me. You're getting a dog, I'm gonna give you everything I got every single night."
Cloud, 33, signed with the Phoenix Mercury last off-season after spending the first eight seasons with the Washington Mystics. Drafted 15 overall by the Mystics in the 2015 WNBA Draft, Cloud was a crucial piece of their 2019 WNBA Championship team.
Ironically, Cloud and the Mystics went on to defeat the Connecticut Sun that year in the finals. Averaging 14.4 points in the finals, Cloud averaged 4.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and had three steals in game one alone.
Did Sabrina Ionescu Recruit Cloud As Teammates Though Unrivaled?
☁️☁️☁️@T_Cloud4 🤝 @sabrina_i20 pic.twitter.com/P0U433ndi4
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) March 17, 2025
The move isn't too surprising since Cloud was teammates with Sabrina Ionescu on Team Phantom during Unrivaled's inaugural season. Although Phantom failed to make the playoffs, Cloud tied for second with Skylar Diggins-Smith for the most assists in the league (4.77 APG). The Phantom's assist leader, the Pennsylvania native averaged 9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.
Cloud joins the Liberty as the third ranked assist leader in the WNBA last season. Now that Ionescu has a new backcourt partner, the two ranked top five in assists last year. New York has now gone from losing Vandersloot, to building a formidable backcourt.
Cloud Brings Much Needed Championship Experience To New York
Through 38 games with the Mercury, Cloud averaged a career-high 4.1 rebounds, 11.5 points, 6.9 assists, and 1.4 steals. With a career average of 8.6 points, 5.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals, Cloud brings a variety of assets to Brooklyn. Appearing in seven postseasons, Cloud is everything New York stands for and more.
Natasha Cloud Is Everything That New York Stands For
DON’T WANT NO PUPPY WE WANT A BIG DAWG 🐶
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) March 17, 2025
YERRRRRRR 🗣️ @T_Cloud4 pic.twitter.com/uZTpZkjQze
Grit, passion, energy, Cloud is the missing piece New York needed to add in the off season. While the super team narrative has vastly disappeared, the talent is shifting among teams. The end goal is to win consecutive championships, and Cloud brings much needed depth and versatility to the backcourt.
There's no question it stung when the Golden State Valkyries selected former Liberty favorite Kayla Thornton in the expansion draft. Shortly after, Courtney Vandersloot returned to Chicago after helping New York win it's first WNBA Championship. The acquisition of Cloud fills a massive void.
Considered one of the most underrated two-way players in the WNBA, "Agent 0" fills a defensive gap, while adding much needed playmaking. Cloud is currently the favorite to win the 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year on FanDuel. We are talking about a former previously named WNBA All-Defensive Team and 2-time WNBA All-Defensive team.
No.3 in Defensive rating, the Liberty were among the most elite defensive teams over the last two seasons. Boasting the best net rating in the WNBA (11.7), defense was a monumental reason why the Liberty defeated the Lynx 67-62 to win their first ever championship.
Giving up two first-round may seem like a ton of assets. However, it gives Connecticut the picks it needs to fully rebuild. Now owning the No. 7 and No. 8 overall picks in this year's draft, the Sun could target prospects such as Aneesah Morrow, Azzi Fudd, or Te-Hina PaoPao.
Defense, Defense, Defense!
Conversely, the Liberty will push for another championship. While then rookie Leonie Fiebich replaced Courtney Vandersloot in the starting lineup, it's unclear what head coach Sandy Brondello's starting five will look like.
Assuming Cloud joins the starting lineup, it would include a starting five of all champions. Cloud's veteran experience will already add to this well polished roster.
With the addition of Natasha Cloud, this Liberty team is dangerous. It already consists of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Fiebich, and Nyara Sabally. New York is stacked on both sides of the ball, top to bottom.
Not to mention New York signed veteran forward Isabelle Harrison last month. The Liberty have a ton of length, especially with Jones, Stewart, and Fiebich. Can you imagine a world where Cloud and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton share the court together? Talk about two defensive juggernauts.
After a historic WNBA free-agency, the Mercury, Aces, Sparks, and Storm all bolstered their rosters. With the newest move, the Liberty are the slight favorites over Vegas to win the 2025 WNBA Championship on DraftKings.
Natasha Cloud's Appreciation for The Liberty Loyal
In 2023, Natasha Cloud commended the Barclays Center crowd after Game 2 of the WNBA playoffs…
— Alford Corriette (@alfcorriette) March 17, 2025
In 2025, Tash will feel the love as a member of Seafoam SZN. #WNBATwitter 🗽🏀 pic.twitter.com/NNKA0aL6XP
Natasha Cloud does have some familiarity with the Liberty, or at least the Barclays as least. In the 2023 playoffs, Cloud played her last-ever game with the Mystics after a first-round shut out against New York. Giving everything she had, Cloud became the first player in Mystics franchise to record 30+ points, five assists, and five rebounds in one game.
Emotional after the career-night, Cloud had high praise for Liberty fans, even after a physical, turbulent exit. From the villain to the newest seafoam member, the Philly native has always spoken highly of the fanbase.
"That's what got me upset out there was just feeling all the love from your fans", Cloud said this after the 2023 first-round loss to the Liberty. "I really appreciate that Liberty fans. It was a great environment to play in."
"This is things that we dreamed of since the times we were kids. To feel that love coming off the court—I really did leave everything that I could on the floor. New York is very similar to Philly. We love hard workers. We love gritty ass players. I really did appreciate it, so thank ya'll."
Cloud's not wrong. I've had the chance to watch and cover the Liberty for several years now. From the Westchester to the MSG days, their fans rock until the end. That was evident in every single game, the finals, and the championship parade. This organization is built on energetic and die-heard fans. They live for players such as Cloud.
From Philadelphia to New York, Natasha Cloud has the skills and grit to bolster the New York Liberty's chances of defending their title. In the end, Cloud got what's best for her, which is what she's deserved all along.
"New York ain't for everybody" was the Liberty slogan last season. There's no doubt in my mind, Natasha Cloud will fit like a glove in Brooklyn.
With the WNBA season quickly approaching, the New York Liberty will open the pre-season at Connecticut on May 9. Looking to become the fourth WNBA team to repeat, the Liberty will open the 2025 season vs the Las Vegas Aces at the Barclays Center.
Stay tuned for more WNBA related articles. Click here
Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter, Content Creator, and Manager for Ballislife Bets. She has a focus on Women's Basketball and the NBA. Sara Jane currently resides in the Connecticut/NYC area with her Cat and Dog. SJ has her undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Connecticut.
