Veteran Natasha Cloud has signed with the Chicago Sky, who also released 2025 first-round pick Hailey Van Lith.
For the time being, the Sky is apparently the limit for WNBA veteran Natasha Cloud.
The Chicago Sky announced the signing of Cloud on Monday, five days before it opens the 2026 season against the Portland Fire this weekend (9 p.m. ET, NBA TV). The move comes shortly after the Sky announced the waiving of 2025 first-round pick Hailey Van Lith, the 11th choice of last spring's draft. Also, the Sky waived Maddy Westbeld, who was drafted No. 16, and Aicha Coulibaly, who was selected No. 22 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Chicago Gets Cloudier
Cloud, 34, will suit up for her fourth WNBA club and third in the last three seasons. The tenured Washington Mystics guard, who was part of that franchise's 2019 title run, spent last season with the New York Liberty and averaged 10.1 points and 5.1 assists. Cloud also won the WNBA Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend to help New York sweep the prelude's events, as then-teammate Sabrina Ionescu won the 3-Point Contest beforehand.
"She has great energy," fellow tenured backcourt threat Skylar Diggins said of Cloud after her signing. "It's obvious what she brings to the table on the floor: her ability to guard multiple positions, obviously, she's another championship guard, and somebody with a veteran presence about herself. So, yeah, we are all really excited."
adding a cloud to our sky ☁️
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) May 4, 2026
welcome to the Chi, Tash! pic.twitter.com/tr7LrkH5ZL
Sky head coach Tyler Marsh had nothing but praise for Cloud during WNBA media availability on Monday.
"First and foremost is her approach to the game, the passion that she brings, the toughness, the energy, the communication," Marsh said when asked what led to the Sky ending Cloud's wait in free agency. "Anytime you can add a player that brings what she brings to us while still building the culture and the foundation of who we want to be now and moving forward, you got to take a look at her."
Cloud Bolsters the Backcourt
Cloud's continued presence on the free agency ledgers was viewed with controversy by some, but she's now set to take the floor for a Sky backcourt that is loaded with talent of both the veteran and developmental variety. The Sky signed Diggins and DiJonai Carrington over the offseason and is biding its time for the return of all-time leading scorer Courtney Vandersloot. Chicago also drafted UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez with the fifth pick of the most recent draft.
Playing with a Sky team trying to work its way back up the WNBA leaderboard after missing the playoffs in each of the last two tours should give Cloud a chance to showcase her two-way game and veteran leadership. Cloud can also keep leaving her mark on the WNBA's numerical ledgers: she enters this season ranked ninth in total assists and fifth in per-game assists. Per Annie Costabile of The Athletic, the deal is for one year, worth $550,000.
No Bandwidth for Van Lith
Cloud's arrival comes at the relative cost of cutting Van Lith loose. The collegiate All-American essentially got lost in the fold in a crowded Chicago backcourt, averaging just over 12 minutes per game in 29 appearances. A lingering ankle injury didn't help in that department, and she wound up missing the final seven games of the campaign entirely.
Marsh chalked up Van Lith's departure to a "numbers game" in his Monday statements.
"It's not necessarily anything that Hailey did or didn't do," Marsh said. "She's another one that works incredibly hard. She's someone that is incredibly tough as well. She battled through some injuries throughout this last year.
Yup, after scoring 20 points in just 17 minutes last game, it’s been much of the same today for Hailey Van Lith
— Point Made Joshua (@pointmadejosh) April 29, 2026
She’s getting downhill, moving with a ton of confidence, and making tough shots despite the contest from defenders pic.twitter.com/WpSpbvn3Sa https://t.co/XdblEh6Qv3
"There's a bright future for her in this league, whether it's in Chicago or elsewhere," Marsh continued. "But again, for us, it just kind of comes down to a numbers game. With the addition of Tash, it's kind of the nature of the business sometimes. But she's in great spirits. That's kind of how she moves. She carries herself with really good energy. She's a professional. She's mature, and we're wishing her well moving forward."
Van Lith should be one of the more attractive talents released at the end of training camp. Plenty who are familiar with Van Lith and her talents are dispersed throughout the league: reuniting with ex-LSU teammates Flau'jae Johnson (Seattle), Aneesah Morrow (Connecticut), or Angel Reese (Atlanta) is certainly worth discussing, while Emily Engstler is currently stationed with the expansion Portland Fire, who could use some backcourt help.
In any event, it stands to reason that Van Lith won't linger among the unemployed for long, especially considering the addition of two extra roster spots introduced in the newly-inked collective bargaining agreement.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
