The New York Liberty acquired Natasha Cloud in a trade with the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. It was a surprising deal, but one that could benefit both sides. New York is looking to strengthen their chances of repeating as champions, while Connecticut is seemingly in the middle of a rebuild. However, was the Cloud trade truly the best move for both the Sun and Liberty?
Liberty acquire Natasha Cloud
Cloud, 33, made her debut in the WNBA in 2015 with the Washington Mystics. She has emerged as a reliable player over the years. It seemed as if Cloud could spend her entire career in Washington, but the veteran guard signed with the Phoenix Mercury in 2024.
Cloud was traded to the Sun in February before being moved to the Liberty on Sunday. She is set to begin her next chapter in New York.
The Liberty are led by stars such as Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. In all reality, they already featured a championship-caliber roster without Cloud. Adding Cloud will help matters, but what did the Liberty surrender in the trade?
Sun's return in trade
Connecticut acquired the 2025 No. 7 overall pick and a 2026 first-round pick as part of the deal. As mentioned, Cloud was acquired this past offseason, so she did not even play a game for the Sun. Acquiring two picks for a player who never even played for your team is fairly impressive, but Cloud was acquired in the Alyssa Thomas trade.
In a sense, it is almost like Connecticut traded Thomas for this return in addition to what they received in the Thomas deal. Since they are seemingly rebuilding, it is difficult to argue against the trade from the Sun's perspective. Cloud is a good player, but Connecticut needs picks right now.
Liberty's trade grade
The Liberty had to surrender two first-round picks for a 33-year-old. New York is clearly going all in on 2025, something fans will appreciate. However, one could argue that they did not have to make this trade. In the end, it certainly isn't a terrible move, but giving the Liberty anything more than a B would be too generous.
Liberty trade grade: B
Sun's trade grade
As explained above, the Liberty acquired Cloud only to trade her a month later for two first-round picks. For a rebuilding team, that is the kind of move that can help them get back into contention sooner rather than later.
Sun trade grade: A-