Veteran Guard Enters 2026 Season Unsigned

34-year-old guard Natasha Cloud, a WNBA veteran, remains unsigned weeks before the season opens on May 8. In 2025 she started 41 games for the New York Liberty, averaging 10.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds. On April 26 she posted on Threads that her silence was intentional and that she knows her “value/worth.”

NY Liberty GM Defends Natasha Cloud As Free Agent Remains Unsigned

The 2026 free-agency window was compressed to five days (April 6-10) with signings opening April 11, after a new collective bargaining agreement raised the league minimum to roughly $270,000. The shortened timeline and higher floor have created market uncertainty for players seeking contracts above the minimum.

Natasha Cloud’s ‘blackball’ rumors face pushback as WNBA interest surfaces

In 2025 Cloud posted 10.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, helped the Liberty start 9-0, and earned three All-Defensive Team honors. Her prior contract was $200,000; the market now includes seven-figure deals for role players and sub-$2 million contracts for some stars, suggesting her expected salary exceeds the new minimum but remains undisclosed.

Natasha Cloud Remains Unsigned, Says Silence Was ‘Intentional’

Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb affirmed Cloud’s value, calling her a phenomenal teammate and an awesome human being, and explained that the team’s decision not to retain her stemmed from free-agency targets and the compressed market, not from fit or activism. The Athletic’s Annie Costabile noted that league sources say rumors of a blackball due to activism are unfounded, and that several teams remain interested.

Natasha Cloud is unsigned, but the WNBA free agent still has the opportunity to make a positive impact this season

Social-media speculation linked Cloud’s free-agency status to her outspoken political advocacy, including a pro-Palestine stance. Front Office Sports and The Big Lead highlighted fan concerns that the league might be penalizing her, though insiders describe the situation as a normal market outcome.

Natasha Cloud is unsigned, but the WNBA free agent still has the opportunity to make a positive impact this season

Sources differ on Cloud’s asking price; some suggest she seeks a deal above the $270,000 minimum, yet no official figure has been released. Rumors of a “blackball” persist despite Kolb and Costabile’s denials, and the impact of her recent agent change remains unclear.

Natasha Cloud is unsigned, but the WNBA free agent still has the opportunity to make a positive impact this season

• “She belongs in the WNBA.” — Jonathan Kolb, New York Liberty GM

Liberty GM Calls Unsigned WNBA Free Agent Natasha Cloud “Phenomenal”

• “I have yet to speak. That’s intentional & my power,” — Natasha Cloud, veteran guard (Threads, April 26)

Natasha Cloud Remains Unsigned, Says Silence Was ‘Intentional’

• “Multiple sources who work in the league have negated social media rumors that Cloud is being blackballed in the league because of her activism,” — Annie Costabile, The Athletic reporter

Natasha Cloud’s ‘blackball’ rumors face pushback as WNBA interest surfaces

• “She’s a phenomenal teammate. She’s an awesome human being. She’s a phenomenal basketball player … What really happened here for us really wasn’t about fit. It’s about our targets in free agency and the condensed nature of free agency and how quickly things really moved.” — Jonathan Kolb, New York Liberty GM

Natasha Cloud Remains Unsigned, Says Silence Was ‘Intentional’

Teams with cap space that could sign Cloud include the Golden State Valkyries, Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, Portland Fire, Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings. With training camps underway, she could sign before the May 8 opener or later in the season.

Natasha Cloud is unsigned, but the WNBA free agent still has the opportunity to make a positive impact this season