The New York Liberty have acquired veteran point guard Natasha Cloud from the Connecticut Sun in exchange for two first-round picks, the team announced Sunday. The Liberty will send the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and their 2026 first-rounder to the Sun.
Cloud, who spent last season with the Phoenix Mercury, was traded to the Sun earlier this offseason in the Alyssa Thomas blockbuster deal. She told reporters during the Unrivaled season she had hoped to retire in Phoenix and was blindsided by the deal.
“It just wasn’t what I expected,” Cloud said. “I just want the best situation for myself and my family moving forward. And I just want to be in an organization that truly invests from top to bottom, facilities, team, location, all of that. I want to compete for championships.”
The Athletic reported that Cloud immediately requested a trade from the Sun, who lost their entire starting five from the playoffs last season and are about to embark on a complete rebuild. This deal fulfills both of her wishes. She’s out of Connecticut and has landed with the reigning champions.
Now that the deal is in, let’s grade it for both sides:
Liberty receive
The Liberty lost Courtney Vandersloot in free agency and Cloud is the point guard replacement they needed. While Vandersloot started all 31 games she played in last season, she was benched in the playoffs when the Liberty decided to go big and have Sabrina Ionescu run the point.
It will be interesting to see if they stick with their playoff rotation or if Cloud assumes the starting point guard role. If Cloud does start, which would not be a surprise at all, the follow-up question is who gets sent to the bench? Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich would be the two most likely candidates, but both have strong cases to remain in the starting five.
Regardless of whether she starts or comes off the bench, Cloud is an awesome addition for the Liberty. She is one of the best playmakers in the league — her 6.9 assists per game last season ranked third among all players — and an elite perimeter defender with three All-Defensive honors to her name. The Liberty had the third-best defense in the league last season (95.3 defensive rating) and will now be even better on that end.
Two first-round picks is a legit price to pay, especially for someone they’ll have to re-sign next winter, but the Liberty are in win-now mode. Cloud boosts their repeat chances far more than anyone they would have picked at No. 7. And with the league expanding to 15 teams in 2026, they would hope their first-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft will be in the No. 14-15 overall range, which was previously a second-round slot.
Grade: A
Sun receive
- No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft
- Liberty’s 2026 first-round pick
The Sun have claimed that they aren’t tanking. In a recent interview with The Athletic, new general manager Morgan Tuck said “the goal is to remain competitive.” Of course, that’s much easier said than done, especially after losing Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, Tiffany Mitchell and Veronica Burton.
It’s rebuild time for the Sun, whether they like it or not. With Cloud set to be a free agent next winter, and openly declaring she has no desire to play for the franchise, it never made sense to keep her around.
This deal gives them two more chances in the draft as they try to rebuild their talent base. They now have the Nos. 7 and 8 picks in the 2025 draft, which should net them two solid players. While the Liberty’s 2026 pick is likely to be at the end of the first round, it still gives them an extra selection that year, when they’ll also have swap rights with the Chicago Sky’s first-round pick.
Grade: A-
