Liberty’s Natasha Cloud to face ex-team after offseason drama

Liberty point guard Natasha Cloud may have moved on from the offseason drama, but she hasn’t forgotten.

Cloud is set to face her former team Thursday when the Mercury come to Barclays Center to take on the defending champions.

It’ll be the first time Cloud will see Phoenix since the team allegedly blindsided her with a trade this offseason.

After eight season with Washington, Cloud played last season with the Mercury and had been told she was going to have the chance to retire there.

That changed, though, when Satou Sabally — one of the most sought-after players in the previous free agency cycle — eyed Phoenix as her preferred destination.

To add insult to injury, Cloud only two weeks prior had said at Unrivaled that she was working on recruiting Sabally to the Mercury.

Cloud was dealt to the Connecticut Sun as part of the four-team trade that sent Sabally and Alyssa Thomas to Phoenix.

Cloud made her intentions to play elsewhere clear to Connecticut’s brass.

The Sun turned down the Liberty’s initial trade proposal.

It ultimately took two first-round draft picks, including this year’s No. 7, to bring Cloud to New York.

Cloud spoke at training camp about how refreshed she felt being with the Liberty, though she also acknowledged she felt slighted by the Mercury’s handling of the situation.

It’s been four months since the four-team trade that sent shock waves through the WNBA, and overall it seems like the Mercury and Cloud are better off now than they would’ve been had things not gone down as they did.

Sabally is thriving in Phoenix and she helped the Mercury become a pleasant surprise team to start this season.

Phoenix went 7-4 to start the season without Kahleah Copper, and Sabally is averaging a career-high 20.6 points per game.

Copper rejoined the Mercury in their win against the Aces on Sunday. Phoenix played the Sun on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the Liberty are 10-1 and Cloud took no time to settle into her role in the starting lineup.

She has been a solid complementary player in the offense, which relies heavily on the scoring of Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart.

Cloud leads the team averaging six assists per game. Her defensive wits and skills are where she really shines.

This offseason may have “pissed off” Cloud.

But she’s used that negative energy as “fuel to my fire.” How that might look against the team that sparked that will be fascinating to see.