The Chicago Sky has been one of the worst-performing teams in the last couple of years. Despite having big names such as Angel Reese in their ranks, the team failed to deliver consistently. However, now that another fresh season is coming up, the Sky will have a lot to think about.
Just recently, Reese confirmed her participation for 2026. And while that comes as quite a relief, the team will still have to work on many things. Among them, the biggest one is who the players that Sky will retain in the upcoming season. And one name that is doing the rounds is Hailey Van Lith.
Hailey Van Lith Touted To Stay With The Chicago Sky
The Sky has already dealt with a lot of chaos regarding their team combination. As they exited the tournament this year, Reese lashed out at her own teammates for such a poor showing. In fact, Reese’s exit interview also sparked Sky trade rumors.
Now, regarding the current dilemma, the team appears to be uncertain about Van Lith’s future. Now, in any other circumstances, this shouldn’t have been a problem. However, this year, Toronto and Portland will join as expansion teams, meaning teams can only retain five of their players in the expansion draft.
Hailey Van Lith has been drafted to the Sky with the No. 11 pick 👏
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 15, 2025
Reunited with Angel in Chicago 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WwvMJXU89h
Yet, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Van Lith will remain with the Sky as their fifth player. As the franchise is trying to choose between Van Lith and the 2025 draft pick Maddy Westbeld, Pelton suggested that Van Lith’s draft position would come to her advantage. Meanwhile, as Van Lith has been a talented acquisition, her injury-ridden season significantly stunted her progress.
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Hailey Van Lith Had A Poor Rookie Season With The Chicago Sky
After multiple trades, the Sky finally selected the TCU star as their 11th overall pick. And this was not all. The hype was so much that even Reese promised to win the championship playing alongside Van Lith.
Now, Van Lith, in her college days, led her team to the elite eight for the entire season she played. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
Speaking about her struggles, Van Lith said, “I’ve never came off the bench in my career. And so learning how to change my mindset to be able to do that and still be myself and still impact the team and help the team win, and like the different ways that I can contribute to culture and winning habits that don’t necessarily mean that I’m always on the floor. So it’s still going on. I’m still going through the process.”
Thus, with HVL looking set to play another year with the Sky, fans will be eager to see how she can improve her game this time.