Chicago Sky waive 2025 first-round pick Hailey Van Lith

May 4 (UPI) -- The Chicago Sky waived guard Hailey Van Lith, they announced Monday.

Van Lith joined the Sky as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. The former Louisville, LSU and TCU star averaged 3.5 points, 1.6 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game over 29 appearances last season, when she came off the bench.

"Thank you, Hailey," the Sky said in a statement. "Wishing you nothing but the best ahead."

Van Lith, 24, eclipsed eight points just once last season, when she scored a career-high 16 points in a win over the Connecticut Sun. She played fewer than 20 minutes in 22 of her 29 rookie appearances.

Van Lith totaled 20 points -- on a perfect 8 of 8 shooting clip -- in the Sky's 2026 preseason opener, a 108-104 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on April 25 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

She scored five points in their preseason finale, an 87-78 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday in Chicago.

The Sky, who tied the Dallas Wings for the worst record (10-34) in the WNBA last season, waived Latasha Lattimore and Tonie Morgan on Sunday. Lattimore was a second-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Morgan joined the Sky as a third-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.

The Sky waived Jordan Hobbs and Megan Nestor on Thursday and Sidney Cooks on Tuesday. They also picked up the fourth-year options on Kamila Cardoso, Rickea Jackson and Jacy Sheldon last week.

The Sky will open their 2026 regular-season campaign against the Portland Fire at 9 p.m. EDT Saturday in Portland.

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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 1:08 PM.