Hailey Van Lith Gets Cut Before Her Second WNBA Season

Hailey Van Lith, the former college basketball star who played at Louisville, LSU and TCU, was a top 15 pick in the WNBA draft a little more than a year ago.

However, entering her second WNBA season, she's already in need of a new team.

The Chicago Sky, who selected Van Lith with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, have waived the standout guard, as the regular season approaches later this month. She's being waved to make room for a new signing.

The Sky announced the roster move on Monday.

"thank you, Hailey," they wrote. "wishing you nothing but the best ahead."

The Sky signed veteran guard Natasha Cloud on Monday. Cloud, 34, was a free agent this offseason. She went unsigned for a while, before getting picked up by the Sky on Monday afternoon, May 4.

Cloud played for the New York Liberty in 2025, averaging 10.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game.

She'll look to provide stability at the guard position for the Sky moving into the 2026 regular season.

Van Lith will look to bounce back elsewhere

Van Lith averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this preseason. Last year, as a rookie, she averaged 3.5 points and 1.6 assists per game, averaging 12.4 minutes per contest.

It's rare for top WNBA Draft picks to get waived so early on in their careers, though with far less teams than the NBA, it does happen.

Van Lith will look to sign elsewhere heading into the 2026 WNBA regular season. There should be some teams interested in buying low on the former college basketball standout. Van Lith is still young, at 24 years old, and there's still time before the start of the WNBA regular season.

It'll be interesting to see where she lands.

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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 1:39 PM.