3 Teams That Should Be Courting Natasha Cloud
WNBA
Natasha Cloud remaining unsigned has been a major story of this year's WNBA free agency and preseason.
Cloud started 41 games for the Liberty in 2025, averaging just over 10pts, 5 assists, and 1 steal a game. The Liberty underperformed in the regular season and the playoffs, giving GM Jonathan Kolb (one of the league's more aggressive executives) the opportunity to move on from championship-winning coach, Sandy Brondello.
Now, with the addition of Satou Sabally, the return of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and the successful resigning of the Liberty's Big 3 (Jones, Stewart, and Ionescu), Cloud may have would up on the outside, looking in.
If the Liberty don't resign Cloud, there are other teams where she could be a good fit, especially if she's willing to play for young squad that's unlikely to be a title contender.
The regular season is only days away and teams have begun to waive training camp players and finalize their rosters.
Will Cloud sign a contract before the season kicks off on May 8?
If she does, it could be with one of these three teams, all of which are in need of veteran leadership and are likely to have money left to spend.
Connecticut Sun
Let's add some Cloud to the sunset season in Connecticut! The Connecticut Sun have one season left to play in Mohegan Sun. They've got the league's best uniform, a host of young talented players, and the cap space to offer a former WNBA champion like Natasha Cloud the kind of salary otherWNBA vets have locked down this season: money in the neighborhood of $1,000,000.
The upside for Connecticut is clear: Cloud's veteran presence in the backcourt would steady the Sun's young roster and significantly raise the team's ceiling this season. In terms of player development, Cloud would be an excellent mentor for versatile French guard Leila Lacan.
Lacan put up strong all-around numbers last year en route to the 2025 WNBA All-Rookie team. If Leila is this team's future backcourt leader, giving her a savvy veteran like Cloud to learn from would be a wise investment.
The motivation for Tash? She could sign a one-year deal, get the bag, and join a squad that looks like a lot of fun. If moving to Houston doesn't suit her (or the franchise), there will be new opportunities to join title contenders next season.
Fans in the District were devastated when Natasha Cloud moved to the Phoenix Mercury after the 2023 season. A career-Mystic and a key piece of the team's 2019 championship season, Cloud had played in Washington since she was drafted by Mike Thibault in 2015. After the 2019 championship, Tash decided to sit out the 2020 Wubble season to focus on activism following the murder of George Floyd (read her powerful piece in The Player's Tribune, "Your Silence Is A Knee On My Neck").
Mike Thibault retired at the end of 2022 and his son, Eric Thibault, coached the Mystics for the next two seasons. In 2023, the Mystics added Brittney Sykes on a 2-year deal that meant both Sykes and Ariel Atkins were due to make $200,000 on protected contracts in 2024. As the franchise looked to replace the contributions of former MVP Elena Delle Donne, guaranteed money for Sykes and Atkins left Cloud the odd woman out in the Mystics backcourt. Money is likely a big part of why Cloud wound up in Phoenix: they were able to offer her $200K on a protected deal.
Now the Mystics have fully moved on from the Thibault era, but they're light on backcourt experience. Their longest tenured player is forward Shakira Austin (entering year 5). Cloud could be the veteran leader who helps develop untested Mystics point guard, Georgia Amoore. In terms of cap space, the Mystics have plenty: only Shakira Austin and Michaela Onyenwere are making more than $500,000.
If any team has good reason to throw the bag at Natasha Cloud, it's the Portland Fire. The Fire do have potential point guards in expansion draft selections Carla Leite and Sug Sutton, but they don't have any backcourt veterans with Cloud's level of skill or experience.
The Golden State Valkyries set a high bar for expansion teams last season, earning a playoff spot and sending Kayla Thornton to the All-Star Game. The Fire had a tougher transition into their first season.
CBA negotiations delayed the expansion draft and turned free agency into a mad dash. The Fire hired a coach with no WNBA experience whose name I can't remember (is it Alex?). And Portland hasn't had any free agency signings to match Sandy Brondello's Toronto Tempo, which successfully courted Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, and former-Valk Temi Fagbenle.
If you're the Fire, why not sign Cloud? You want to take up space in the WNBA news cycle. You want to sell jerseys and put fans in the stands. Bringing in Tash would hitch your name to a key preseason storyline.
For Cloud, there are good reasons to consider the Fire as well. Portland is a great women's sports city that embraces its athletes' activism. The city would welcome the W's most outspoken player with open arms. A proven leader, Cloud could step into the role of culture-setter, giving this team someone to rally around in the rough waters of WNBA expansion.
Finish Through Contact is a fan blog celebrating the players of the WNBA and Unrivaled (and other women's and non-binary players' basketball leagues).