Han Xu scored a WNBA career-high 19 points in this game, surpassing her previous high of 17 against the Mercury on August 1. What a month she is having! One unassisted layup and five free throws accounted for seven points. Rebekah Gardner set up two more, while Leonie Fiebich and Rebecca Allen each set up five. 12 of Han’s 19 points came from her teammates.
It was nice to have Natasha Cloud back at Barclays, but seeing her on the other team came with a bit of sadness. From a points standpoint she seems to be doing well in Chicago, averaging 11.4 points per game compared with 10.1 in New York last season.
Did you know Cloud was not traded? Her Liberty contract expired after the 2025 season, and she entered free agency before signing with Chicago.
| Player | 2025 Salary | 2026 Salary |
| Breanna Stewart | $222,400 | $1,190,000 |
| Sabrina Ionescu | $222,060 | $1,190,000 |
| Jonquel Jones | $209,000 | $1,190,000 |
| Natasha Cloud | $200,000 | $555,000 |
(data from herhoopstats.com)
These salary figures become more interesting through the lens of last year’s pay. In 2025, Stewart earned $222,400 and Cloud earned $200,000, a difference of $22,400.
In 2026, Cloud is listed at $555,000, while her former Liberty teammates Stewart, Ionescu, and Jones are each listed at $1.19 million. Cloud is now making $635,000 less than her old teammates while last year she was only making $22,400 less.
Taxes change this somewhat, considering Chicago may have a lower tax rate. Assuming the Liberty players live in New York City, their take home pay for Stewie/Sabrina/Jonquel may be $592,000 compared to Cloud’s estimated take home of $350,000. This works out to her making $242,000 less, which is a smaller figure than a $635,000 pay gap. These numbers are all estimates.
My question in all this is … was a decision made somewhere that Natasha Cloud was not worth an additional $1,190,000 and that renewal of her contract would put the Liberty out of budget for other players? And so relinquishing the Natasha Cloud contract the Liberty were able to freely sign four players at $250,000 each and that may have been the greater move for the team? The game that is being played of making these salary decisions is its own sport!
Talking about change in pay … seems the savings accrued from the removal of the Apple Pie empanadas has in some way freed up budget and financing for a new Cesar’s Empanadas truck with a newer menu (Apple Pie is removed all together) and a new Guava w/ Potato and Cheese was on the menu but not available yet in the truck. There is plenty of empty space on the menu, I suspect because the return of Apple Pie will eventually happen and the room has already been allocated for where it will be taped on and written in with marker.
