CHICAGO — Natasha Cloud on Wednesday set her feet and put up a 3-pointer.
She repeated the motion again and again like clockwork.
She warmed up on one side of the Wintrust Arena court while her former team, the New York Liberty, prepared for Wednesday night’s game on the other side.
Cloud has moved on from New York. Not that she necessarily had the choice.
The Liberty said they had versions of their 2026 roster that included Cloud.
But when the time came, other dominoes fell, leaving Cloud as the odd woman out.
The Liberty landed marquee free agent Satou Sabally. They also signed highly sought-after French guard Pauline Astier. When the salary cap hits for each signing came to light, it became abundantly clear that the Liberty’s books were close to the max.
Cloud remained unsigned as training camps opened across the league. To complicate matters, Cloud had switched agents three times this year, including twice in April.
Eventually, Cloud found her new home, with the Chicago Sky signing her to a one-year, $500,000 contract on May 4.
Cloud’s ending to her New York chapter feels incomplete.
The Liberty traded two first-round picks for Cloud in March 2025, just weeks after the Mercury dealt the veteran guard to the Sun as part of a four-team trade that brought Satou Sabally to Phoenix.
Cloud, a 10-year veteran and 2019 WNBA champion, helped the Liberty to a franchise-best 9-0 start. She averaged 10.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 41 games.
Throughout last summer, Cloud expressed her love for New York, calling it home.
“I’m very happy as a New York Liberty,” the 34-year-old said July 18.
She was a fan favorite. She embodied the traits that define the city: relentlessness, ambition and adaptability. She wore her emotions on her sleeve.
But the backcourt pairing of Sabrina Ionescu and Cloud wasn’t as seamless as the Liberty had hoped. After New York’s first-round exit, Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said the team would reevaluate Ionescu’s role and her ideal backcourt partner.
Ultimately, the Liberty went in a direction that didn’t include Cloud. The hurt has to weigh like a bad breakup with someone you envisioned a future with.
Wednesday will be the first time Cloud faces her former team this season. It’s the third time in her career that she’s experiencing this wide range of emotions.
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Cloud needed a few minutes before she met with The Post outside the Sky’s locker room pregame, her trademark smile painted across her face.
She didn’t want to get into what went down in the offseason.
“Right now, I’m just focused on getting another dub,” Cloud said before scoring 11 points off the bench in the Sky’s 96-95 loss to the Liberty. “It happens to be [against] New York, but very happy to be where my feet are. Y’all know what it is. … This business is political. Business is business.”
Cloud is averaging 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 12 games with the Sky this season. She has come off the bench six times — the first time she hasn’t been a starter since 2018.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh said Cloud brings a lot to the table, including leadership, a winning mentality, a championship mindset and work ethic.
“She’s everything that you’ve heard about her over the years is what she’s brought and she comes with great communication and great energy,” Marsh said. “That presence that she brings, it can be contagious, especially for our younger players, the way that she talks and leads on both ends of the floor. So she’s been great.”
Skylar Diggins called Cloud a “vibe changer.”
“Good vibes only — just her spirit that she brings every day, always in a good mood, you know, cool with everybody,” Diggins said. “[She’s] concerned about what we can do to get better.”
