Hailey Van Lith Gets Waived 9 Games Into The 2026 WNBA Season

To the surprise of many WNBA fans, Hailey Van Lith has already been waived twice this month.

The Chicago Sky waived Van Lith just days before their season opener. The 11th pick from the 2025 draft averaged 3.5 points per game during her rookie campaign in the Windy City. She was then claimed by the Connecticut Sun and given a decent role during the first nine games of the year.

Van Lith, a former star at TCU, averaged 8.1 points and 2.2 assists per contest for the Sun. Despite showing some serious improvement, she was waived this Thursday to make room for Leila Lacan.

While this decision is a bit surprising, Van Lith and Connecticut's front office reportedly ended things on good terms.

"Sources told ESPN that Van Lith is grateful to the Sun for their transparency and the opportunity and remains motivated to carry forward the momentum from her time with the team," Alexa Philipou wrote.

Van Lith's fans are disappointed.

WNBA fans weren't too pleased when they received the news of Van Lith's release.

"Connecticut waiving her like she isn't one of the pieces on the floor keeping them from getting blown out every game," one fan declared.

"This makes 0 sense to me? Why would they waive her," a second fan asked.

"I swear I'll never understand business in the W smh," another fan wrote. "She's definitely a hooper."

Hopefully, Van Lith will land back on her feet fairly soon.

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 1:57 PM.