The Connecticut Sun announced Thursday that guard Hailey Van Lith has been waived and Leïla Lacan has been activated.
Van Lith, 24, averaged 8.1 points and 2.2 assists for the Sun across nine games (three starts) this season, her second in the WNBA.
It’s the second time this month that Van Lith has been waived. In early May, the Chicago Sky released her before the start of the WNBA season.
ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported at the time that Van Lith’s release from Chicago came down to a “style of play preference.”
In 29 games for the Sky in the 2025 season, all off the bench, Van Lith averaged just 3.5 points and 1.6 assists per game. Still, releasing the No. 11 pick from the 2025 draft after just one season came as a bit of a surprise, even if she didn’t impress during her rookie season.
Van Lith is probably best making the move to a young, rebuilding team where she might be able to earn minutes (although the Sun also fit that billing). The Phoenix Mercury, Toronto Tempo or even the Portland Fire (even if they are off to a surprising 5-3 start) would make sense in that regard.
But Van Lith probably can’t expect to see extended minutes anywhere she goes at this point. A pair of WNBA teams have now decided, within a few weeks of one another, that she was expendable.
