Natasha Cloud landing with Chicago Sky after dumping Hailey Van Lith

Nypost · May 04, 2026 · 455 words · By Madeline Kenney

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/04/sports/chicago-sky-sign-natasha-cloud-to-1-year-de…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule Pending 2

info Single Source 1

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“The former Liberty guard signed with the Chicago Sky, the team announced Monday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Yahoo Sports, a news report on the signing, and Wikipedia) confirm that Natasha Cloud signed with the Chicago Sky.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s draft for the 2026 season was held following the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. This was the first draft for the league's two …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_WNBA_draft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jacy Rae Sheldon (born August 23, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball. S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacy_Sheldon

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Natasha "Tash" Cloud (born February 22, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Phantom of Unrivaled. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Cloud

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Cloud’s signing came just hours after the team waived Hailey Van Lith, the No. 11 pick in last year’s draft.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results explicitly state that the Chicago Sky waived Hailey Van Lith (the No. 11 pick from the previous draft) shortly before signing Natasha Cloud.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s draft for the 2025 season was held following the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. It marked the first draft for the newest expans…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_WNBA_draft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hailey Ann Van Lith (born September 9, 2001) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hailey_Van_Lith

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“the Sky traded draft picks to the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo ahead of the expansion draft”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While Wikipedia mentions the existence of the Portland Fire as an expansion team, there is no evidence in the provided search results confirming that the Chicago Sky specifically traded draft picks to the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Portland Fire season will be the franchise's inaugural season in the Women's National Basketball Association and first under head coach Alex Sarama.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Portland_Fire_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of transactions that occurred during the 2025–26 WNBA off-season and the 2026 WNBA season. This includes retirements, front office transitions, player signings, and player trades. The l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2026_WNBA_season_trans…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The Athletic reported that Cloud had turned down at least one offer during free agency.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly mention that 'The Athletic reported that Cloud had turned down at least one offer during free agency.'

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 New York Liberty season was the 29th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA, and their fourth season under head coach, Sandy Brondello. The season tipped off on Saturday, May 1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_Liberty_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 19, 2025, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The Indiana Fever hosted the game and relat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_WNBA_All-Star_Game

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“The Sky are Cloud’s fourth team in four years.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses her being unsigned or signing with teams, but does not explicitly list the sequence of four teams in four years to verify this specific count.

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web search NEUTRAL — Furthermore, several teams have expressed interest in the 34-year-old guard, according to The Athletic, and CBS Sports independently verified that at least one team reached out to New York directly to…
https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/natasha-cloud-wnba-free-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Natasha Cloud is unsigned, but the WNBA free agent still has the opportunity to make a positive impact this season.Natasha Cloud remains unsigned heading into the second week of training camp.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

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web search NEUTRAL — The implication is that Cloud has a certain amount of money she hopes to make — as is her right and likely her due — and that she's been negotiating with teams to reach that amount. The problem, then,…
https://highposthoops.com/natasha-cloud-has-a-wnba-market-pr…

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“Courtney Vandersloot rehabs from a knee injury that sidelined her for most of last season.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (AP and other news reports) confirm Courtney Vandersloot suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season.

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web search NEUTRAL — Courtney Vandersloot needed to be carried off the court on Saturday after suffering a knee injury during the first quarter of the Chicago Sky's game against the Indiana Fever. Vandersloot did not retu…
https://www.si.com/wnba/sky-guard-courtney-vandersloot-miss-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Guard Courtney Vandersloot sustained a torn right ACL in Saturday’s game against the Indiana Fever at the United Center and will miss the rest of the 2025 WNBA season, the team announced Sunday. Vande…
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/courtney-vandersloot-miss-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Vandersloot left Chicago's 79-52 loss to Indiana on Saturday night…
https://www.aol.com/sky-guard-courtney-vandersloot-miss-0017…

verified

“The 10-year veteran spent the first eight seasons of her career with the Washington Mystics, who drafted Cloud in the second round of the 2015 draft.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Natasha Cloud is a professional basketball player and was drafted in 2015; general knowledge of her career (though not fully detailed in the snippets) aligns with the 2015 draft date provided in the Wikipedia snippets.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2015 WNBA season for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association was scheduled to begin June 5, 2015.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Washington_Mystics_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Mystics

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Cloud signed a two-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury before the 2024 season.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Spotrac and news reports, confirm Natasha Cloud signed a two-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury.

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web search NEUTRAL — Natasha Cloud signed a 2 year, $400,000 contract with the Phoenix Mercury with an average annual salary of $200,000.
https://www.spotrac.com/wnba/player/_/id/29976/natasha-cloud

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web search NEUTRAL — PHOENIX - The Phoenix Mercury today announced the signing of free agent guard and WNBA Champion Natasha Cloud. "Natasha is an elite playmaker, one of the best defenders in the league and is coming off…
https://mercury.wnba.com/news/phoenix-mercury-signs-wnba-cha…

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web search NEUTRAL — Natasha Cloud has signed with the Phoenix Mercury, the team announced on Thursday. According to The Next's Howard Megdal, it's a two-year deal worth $400,000. "Natasha is an elite playmaker, one ...
https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba-free-agency-natasha-cloud-sign…

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“A year later, the Mercury traded Cloud to the Connecticut Sun in pursuit of Sabally.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a trade from the Mercury to the Connecticut Sun in pursuit of Sabally.

help

“Cloud was dealt to the Liberty ahead of last season in exchange for two first-round picks.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a trade from the Sun to the Liberty for two first-round picks.

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“In 2025, Cloud averaged 10.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 41 games.”

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“The Sky open the season Saturday against the Fire.”

PENDING

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Natasha Cloud landing with Chicago Sky after dumping Hailey Van Lith

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