Chicago Sky waive Hailey Van Lith ahead of regular season - RAW CHILI

Hailey Van Lith has been waived by the Chicago Sky, the team announced Monday.

Per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Van Lith was waived because of the Sky’s “style of play preference.” Van Lith is reportedly already in conversation with multiple teams, according to Andrews.

Van Lith was drafted by Chicago 11th overall in 2025, and played limited minutes last season. She averaged 3.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 12 and a half minutes of play per game.

The move comes just days before the start of the WNBA regular season. The Sky open the year in Portland, playing the Portland Fire on Saturday.

Chicago is set to look like a completely different team this season after trading away star Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream, and acquiring players like Skylar Diggins, Rickea Jackson and Jacy Sheldon in free agency. The Sky also added veteran Natasha Cloud on Monday in what appears to be a move related to Van Lith’s departure.

The Sky have had five first-round picks in the past three years; after trading Reese and waiving Van Lith, Chicago is left with only two of those picks, including 2026 draftee Gabriela Jacquez. (Ajša Sivka, who was drafted right before Van Lith in 2025, has yet to join the team.)

Head coach Tyler Marsh is in his second year at the helm for the Sky, and is hoping to bounce back after a second-to-last-place finish last season. It’s likely that the combination of veteran guards like Diggins, Sheldon and Cloud along with rookie guards like Jacquez was enough for Marsh’s current system.