Report: Natasha Cloud and Bec Allen part of trade sending Alyssa Thomas to Phoenix
The Mercury will reportedly send Natasha Cloud, Bec Allen and the No. 12 pick to Connecticut for Alyssa Thomas and Ty Harris.
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury will reportedly send Natasha Cloud, Bec Allen and the No. 12 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Alyssa Thomas and Ty Harris, according to The Next’s Howard Megdal.
ESPN’s Alexa Philippou first reported Alyssa Thomas would be going to the Mercury.
Last season was Cloud’s first year in Phoenix after she signed with the Mercury as a free agent on Feb. 1, 2024, and it proved to be a career year for Cloud in many ways.
She averaged career highs in rebounds (4.1), steals (1.4), blocks (0.6) and minutes (33.3) before being named to the 2024 WNBA All-Defensive Second Team.
The point guard finished third in the league in assists per game at 6.9 and second in points-assists double-doubles with eight.
She also set the Mercury’s franchise record with 263 assists during the regular season.
Allen was acquired via a sign-and-trade with the Connecticut Sun on Feb. 3, 2024, but after playing all 40 games in 2023, she was limited to just 18 games in 2024 after dealing with a concussion, hamstring and back injuries. Nevertheless, Allen’s absence was felt by the Mercury. In games Allen played, the Mercury went 11-7 and without Allen, the Mercury were 8-14.
The Melbourne native averaged 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists while playing a career-high 24.8 minutes per game.
Allen did not play for the Mercury after the Olympic break. She underwent successful back surgery in September before missing the postseason.
Harris reportedly will join the Mercury after spending the past two seasons in Connecticut. The point guard started 38 of the 39 games she played in last season and averaged 10.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
She previously was drafted by the Dallas Wings and spent her first three seasons in Dallas before she was part of the three-team deal that sent Allen, Harris and the 2023 No. 6 overall pick to the Sun, Jonquel Jones and Kayla Thornton to New York and Natasha Howard and Crystal Dangerfield to the Wings.
In college, Harris played four seasons with Mercury forward Kiki Herbert Harrigan at South Carolina. The two teammates won the 2017 NCAA National Championship together.
Thomas, 32, had spent her entire 11-season career with the Sun and is a five-time All-Star.
She averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals over 40 games in 2024.
The forward out of Maryland has the most triple-doubles in WNBA history with 15 (11 of which came during the regular season).
Even though she entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, Connecticut used the core designation on her, meaning Connecticut had exclusive negotiating rights and the only way she could leave the Sun was via a trade. The trade will not become official until Feb. 1.
Thomas led the WNBA in rebounding in 2023 and will be a big addition for a Mercury team that finished last in the league in rebounding in 2023 and second-to-last in rebounding in 2024.
She also was named WNBA All-Defensive First Team twice (2020, 2023) and WNBA All-Defensive Second Team four times (2017, 2019, 2022, 2024).
Thomas’ fiancé, DeWanna Bonner, is an unrestricted free agent who played 10 seasons in Phoenix and the last five in Connecticut.
As an Olympian, Thomas played alongside Mercury stars Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi with Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics.