Natasha Cloud, an acclaimed veteran guard, remains unsigned with less than two weeks to go before the start of the WNBA\u2019s 30th season on May 8. She started 41 games last season for the New York Liberty.<\/p>\n
As a WNBA champion and a three-time All-Defensive team member, her availability is curious. According to Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb, who publicly backed Cloud\u2019s talent in light of reports alleging she was not a good culture fit, New York\u2019s decision came down to roster and salary cap constraints. Social media discourse also speculated that some of her activism was an issue with the franchise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot out there that I\u2019d just like to dispel,\u201d Kolb said Sunday at his annual press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s an awesome human being,\u201d he continued. \u201cShe\u2019s a phenomenal basketball player. She belongs in the WNBA.\u201d<\/p>\n
But not with the Liberty, after a robust free agency period executed by Kolb.<\/p>\n
He traded two first-round picks for Cloud in 2025 to fill a void created by Betnijah Laney-Hamilton\u2019s absence due to a knee injury. Kolb was willing to give up future assets for Cloud, who could help keep the 2024 WNBA Finals winners\u2019 championship window open.<\/p>\n
But now, Laney-Hamilton, who re-signed with a one-year, $400,000 contract, is back and a full go. In addition, Kolb added to the Liberty\u2019s depth with one of the biggest free-agent signings of the offseason by bringing in Satou Sabally. He was able to sign Sabally without losing any assets in return because of Phoenix Mercury general manager Nick U\u2019Ren\u2019s decision not to core her. The three-time All-Star signed a two-year deal with the Liberty valued at more than $1.6 million between this season and next.<\/p>\n
There were hypothetical Liberty rosters that included Cloud, who is 34 and has played 10 seasons. Ultimately, when Kolb played his free-agent cards, which included signing Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones to three-year deals, Cloud wasn\u2019t in his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about our targets, free agency, the condensed nature of free agency and how quickly things really move,\u201d Kolb said. \u201cBut also kind of probably felt like it took a while, too. When you\u2019re in the dark on things and we\u2019re pursuing other opportunities, it probably doesn\u2019t feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cloud\u2019s desire to re-sign with the Liberty is unclear. But she spoke about New York as if it were home throughout her year with the franchise, even starring in an ad campaign with the city\u2019s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, in March.<\/p>\n
Multiple sources who work in the league have negated social media rumors that Cloud is being blackballed in the league because of her activism, telling The Athletic numerous teams have expressed interest in the veteran point guard.<\/p>\n
Free agency negotiations between players and teams can last more than a month during a standard year, giving both sides time to weigh decisions. This year, because of the extended negotiations required to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, the designation and negotiation periods were condensed to just five days (April 6-10) before players could begin signing on April 11. Decisions for some teams were made quickly when the signing period opened, which could have taken potential opportunities off the table for Cloud before she was fully aware of her standing in New York\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n
Cloud also switched agents in the middle of free agency.<\/p>\n
She has been in talks with a few teams, a source with knowledge of Cloud\u2019s offers told The Athletic. The WNBA has a long history of players who have been outspoken on social justice issues and Cloud has been among the players at the forefront of those efforts.<\/p>\n
Cloud hasn\u2019t spoken to the media yet regarding her status as a free agent, but she did pen a message on social media on April 19.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve given my heart to every team and community I\u2019ve been part of, never fully knowing if the impact I hope for was truly felt,\u201d Cloud shared to Threads. \u201cIn this moment, though, receiving so much love, support and advocacy means everything. It\u2019s a powerful reminder that the impact I\u2019ve wanted to make beyond the court is real and aligned with what I believe God has called me to do through this game. \u2026 I\u2019m ok. Just taking things in: even if they weren\u2019t what I expected and trusting I\u2019ll be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many experts in the WNBA believe Cloud is expected to sign with a team this season, and multiple team sources think she could end up on a championship contender. It\u2019s just a matter of when and finding the right fit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Natasha Cloud, an acclaimed veteran guard, remains unsigned with less than two weeks to go before the start…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,3457,82,630],"class_list":{"0":"post-631199","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-new-york-liberty","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}