Sun waive Hailey Van Lith after just nine games

Nypost · 🇫🇷 public France · May 28, 2026 · 309 words · By Thomas Gamba-Ellis

WNBA Player Transactions Professional Performance Analysis

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Hailey Van Lith is on the search for a new home yet again.

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Hailey Van Lith is on the search for a new home yet again.

Why it matters

After just nine games played this WNBA season, the Connecticut Sun waived Van Lith, the team announced on Thursday.

Common ground

During her brief stint in Connecticut, Van Lith averaged 8.1 points while shooting 49.2 percent from the field across 17.6 minutes per game.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this WNBA Player Transactions story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that averaging 3.5 points while shooting 33.9 percent from the field through 29 games off the bench?
How does this story connect WNBA Player Transactions with Professional Performance Analysis over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/28/sports/sun-waive-hailey-van-lith-after-just-nine-g…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

schedule Pending 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

help

Claim 1: “averaging 3.5 points while shooting 33.9 percent from the field through 29 games off the bench”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm these specific rookie statistics for Van Lith with the Chicago Sky.

info

Claim 2: “Van Lith is grateful for the opportunity from the Sun, along with the team’s transparency concerning her situation, ESPN reported”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for ESPN consists only of general homepage links and does not contain the specific report regarding Van Lith's gratitude or transparency.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Visit ESPN for live scores, highlights and sports news. Stream exclusive games on ESPN and play fantasy sports.
https://www.espn.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Stream live sports, watch game replays, get video highlights, and access featured ESPN programming on your computer, mobile device, and TV with WatchESPN.
https://espn.app.link/zUbp3lzh0O

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ESPN
https://espn.go.com/

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Claim 3: “the Sun activated french guard Leila Lacan who has returned from the 2026 La Boulangère Wonderligue in France”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the Sun activated Leila Lacan after her return from overseas. Wikipedia confirms she plays for Basket Landes of the La Boulangère Wonderligue.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Connecticut Sun season was the 27th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association and the first under head coach, Rachid Meziane. After the loss of h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Connecticut_Sun_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conf…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Sun

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Leïla Lacan (born 2 June 2004) is a French professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Basket Landes of the La Boulangère Wonde…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leïla_Lacan

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 4: “During her senior season with the Horned Frogs, Van Lith averaged 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists and helped lead her team to an Elite Eight appearance”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 5: “The Sun have experienced a dismal start to the 2028 season, currently sitting at the bottom of the WNBA standings with a 1-8 record”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one source (AOL.com) reports the 1-8 record for the 2028 season. Other sources discuss 2026 events, but do not corroborate the 2028 record.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 · The Sun have experienced a dismal start to the 2028 season, currently sitting at the bottom of the WNBA standings with a 1-8 record.
https://www.aol.com/articles/sun-waive-hailey-van-lith-02152…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 31, 2026 · A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has made a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun for a record $325M and move the team to Boston ...Eastern Confrence Atlanta Dream Chicago…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/greatthingsemc/posts/2669269…

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 13, 2026 · With the 15th pick, the Connecticut Sun select Gianna Kneepkens, and that makes a record FIVE Bruins selected in the first round.
https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/live/wnba-draft-results-live-u…

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Claim 6: “averaged 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists through 25 games with Connecticut during her rookie season”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources report the exact rookie season averages: 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 7: “ultimately lost in the Elite Eight to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa squad”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 8: “Lacan, who the Sun drafted with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Both Wikipedia and official WNBA draft results confirm Leila Lacan was selected 10th overall by the Connecticut Sun in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 9: “After spending three years with Louisville, Van Lith joined a stacked LSU team which featured Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 10: “The Sky selected Van Lith with the No. 10 pick in 2025”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the draft position of Van Lith in 2025.

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Claim 11: “During her brief stint in Connecticut, Van Lith averaged 8.1 points while shooting 49.2 percent from the field across 17.6 minutes per game”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources explicitly state the same statistics: 8.1 points, 49.2% field goal percentage, and 17.6 minutes per game.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s draft for the 2025 season was held following the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. It marked the first draft for the newest expans…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_WNBA_draft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s draft for the 2026 season was held following the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. This was the first draft for the league's two …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_WNBA_draft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hailey Ann Van Lith (born September 9, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), currently signed to a player d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hailey_Van_Lith

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 12: “being a standout player with Louisville, LSU, and TCU throughout her five-years in the NCAA”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “the Sky cutting the 24-year-old on May 4 to make room for ex-Liberty guard Natasha Cloud”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (Instagram/ESPNW, WNBA news, and a news article) confirm the Chicago Sky waived Van Lith on May 4, 2026, to make room for Natasha Cloud.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 4, 2026 ... 139K likes, 1753 comments - espnw on May 4, 2026: "Breaking: The Chicago Sky have waived Hailey Van Lith, the team announced on social media ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DX7FgkBkjTt/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 4, 2026 ... Chicago then sent second-round picks to both the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo to prevent them from drafting a Sky player, quite possibly Van ...
https://www.swishappeal.com/wnba/78469/chicago-sky-natasha-c…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 4, 2026 ... ... Sky's preferred style of play, right before Chicago signed veteran guard Natasha Cloud ... — Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) May 4, 2026. Van Lith was ...
https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/chicago-sky-waive-hail…

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Claim 14: “the Connecticut Sun waived Van Lith, the team announced on Thursday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (including a news report from May 28, 2026) confirm that the Connecticut Sun waived Hailey Van Lith.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.