This week, Hailey Van Lith’s WNBA career was rocked to its core. On Monday, Van Lith was waived by the Chicago Sky, which had drafted her just a year before. Then, on Wednesday, the 24-year-old guard was claimed off the waivers by the Connecticut Sun.
Just like that, Van Lith’s stint in Connecticut was off to the races. When the Sun posted images of their newest acquisition joining team practice on Thursday, fans expressed their gladness at the sight of HVL immediately finding a new home.
“She looks so much happier!!!”
“Welcome to CT HVL! Let’s get it!”
“She’s gonna shine”
“So happy for her”
At the same time, netizens name-dropped another recently waived guard, whom they viewed as another potentially significant pickup like Hailey Van Lith.
“Now pick up Kate and we’re cooking with gas”
“So glad she landed with a team. Now we need a team to pickup Kate Martin.”
If the Sun do end up signing Kate Martin, who was waived by the Golden State Valkyries, she would indeed form an interesting backcourt tandem with Van Lith. Their styles are complementary, with Van Lith taking care of the scoring while Martin does the dirty work on defense.
The Sun had a miserable 2025 season, but new developments are on their horizon. After the 2026 campaign, the team is set to relocate to Texas and lead to the rebirth of the Houston Comets. Van Lith (and, perhaps, even Martin) figures to be part of that bright future.
Sky HC Comments on Team’s Decision to Waive Hailey Van Lith After One Season
One person who apparently sees this bright future for Hailey Van Lith is Tyler Marsh, her former coach in Chicago.
In a statement released after Van Lith was waived, Marsh explained that the decision to let go of the rookie court general was a difficult one.
“The worst part of this job and the business that we’re in is you have to have, a tough conversation and make tough decisions. For us, unfortunately, sometimes it comes down to a numbers game and it’s not necessarily anything that, that Hailey did or didn’t do…There’s a bright future for her in this league.”
It will be interesting to see how Van Lith will perform when the Sun meet the Sky for the first time in the upcoming WNBA season.