Hailey Van Lith Reportedly Makes Surprising Contract Decision After Being Waived by Sun

The Connecticut Sun brought back guard Hailey Van Lith on a developmental contract Saturday, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kendra Andrews.

Per Philippou and Andrews, there were "other opportunities available" to Van Lith as a free agent but she wanted to stay in Connecticut "for her immediate development and her long-term goals."

The Sun previously waived her on Thursday.

Van Lith was initially selected by the Chicago Sky with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft after she spent her college career playing for Louisville, LSU and TCU.

She only appeared in 29 games with Chicago during her rookie season while dealing with an ankle injury. Van Lith averaged 3.5 points and 1.6 assists in 12.4 minutes per game, shooting 33.9 percent from the field and 16.1 percent from three-point territory.

She was waived by the Sky on May 4 before the Sun claimed her off waivers two days later.

Despite Connecticut's 1-8 record this season, Van Lith put together several efficient performances to open her 2026 campaign.

She averaged 8.1 points, 2.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game while connecting on 49.2 percent of her field goals and 47.1 percent of her triples across nine appearances to open the year.

Now, Van Lith is returning to Connecticut with an eye toward building for the future.

WNBA teams are allowed to carry two developmental roster spots to create in-house training pipelines outside the salary cap. Developmental players can be activated for up to 12 games.