Natasha Cloud requested a trade from the Connecticut Sun after she was traded there in early February, The Athletic reported on Tuesday. Cloud, an elite two-way guard who was fresh off a strong season with the Phoenix Mercury, landed in Connecticut in the blockbuster trade that sent Alyssa Thomas to Phoenix.
Newly-acquired Connecticut Sun star reportedly requested a trade
Natasha Cloud asked out of Connecticut shortly after she was traded there from the Phoenix Mercury, The Athletic reported.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Cloud, one of the WNBA’s premier guard defenders, averaged 11.5 points, 6.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in Phoenix last season. She spent her first 8 years on the Washington Mystics before signing with the Mercury last offseason, where she has planned to retire.
“That was really hard for me, uprooting my family to the West Coast, being told I was going to retire as a Phoenix Mercury, and to then be shipped out and find out with you guys on social media, that was really fun for me,” Cloud told reporters in an Unrivaled media availability last month.
Cloud hasn’t made the trade request public, but she did say that the move to Connecticut wasn’t what she expected.
“I just want the best situation for myself and my family moving forward,” she said. “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.”
Marina Mabrey also requested a trade from the Sun this offseason
Cloud isn’t the first Sun player to request a trade this offseason. Marina Mabrey, who was traded to Connecticut in July, also requested a trade. Sun president Jen Rizzotti told Sportico’s Eric Jackson last month that Mabrey’s request would be denied, noting
In a follow-up to her initial statements to Sportico, Rizzotti told ESPN that the organization decided it “wasn’t in our best interest to move her because of the value that we gave up to get her, but also that we place on her.”
Cloud’s saga hasn’t unrolled quite as publicly, but her reported request means that both of Connecticut’s presumed backcourt starters for next season have asked out. Alongside Cloud and Mabrey, the Sun have the following WNBA players under contract next season: Tina Charles, Diamond DeSheilds, Jacy Sheldon, Mya Hollingshed, Yvonne Anderson, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Lindsay Allen, Caitlin Bickle, Robyn Parks, and Haley Peters. They also have a slew of incoming rookies, some of whom will be cut after training camp: Leila Lacan, Kariata Daby, Kamila Borkowska, Amy Okonkwo, and Abbey Hsu.
Connecticut is in a strange place this offseason; they lost all five of their starters from last season. Alyssa Thomas and Ty Harris were traded to the Phoenix Mercury (with Harris later being traded to the Dallas Wings). DiJonai Carrington, who was a restricted free agent, was traded to the Wings in exchange for rookie Jacy Sheldon (the Sun also received the 2025 No. 8 pick for the No. 12 pick). DeWanna Bonner, who was a free agent, signed with the Indiana Fever, and Brionna Jones, another free agent, signed with the Atlanta Dream. Veronica Burton was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in their expansion draft.
Still, the franchise wants to remain competitive next season, and that’s likely a big part of why Connecticut doesn’t want to trade Mabrey or Cloud.
In December, before free agency tipped off, general manager Morgan Tuck told SB Nation that the franchise wanted to prioritize remaining competitive.
“We’ve had a lot of change within the last couple of months, and more change to come, obviously,” Tuck said. “But, we’re a Connecticut team, and Connecticut is known for having really competitive teams and really good teams — so I don’t think we can shy away from that and the expectations around how good we need to be.”
