The Connecticut Sun have made another roster adjustment ahead of their return to action, one that sees Hailey Van Lith’s roster status shift once again. This time, however, she isn’t going anywhere. Instead, she is back in a familiar spot with the Connecticut Sun.

As shared by UConn women’s basketball beat reporter Maggie Vanoni, per the WNBA’s transaction page, the Connecticut Sun have reactivated Leila Lacan after her return from the World Cup. In a corresponding move, the team has again re-signed Hailey Van Lith to a developmental player contract, after she spent Lacan’s absence on a 7-day contract.

Before the World Cup, Van Lith was actually on a developmental contract with the Connecticut Sun. However, when Lacan left for the just-concluded FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, where she represented France, the team filled Lacan’s roster spot with Van Lith, moving her from her developmental slot to a standard 7-day contract. 

When a WNBA player leaves her team mid-season to represent her national team in an international tournament like the FIBA World Cup, that player can be placed on the “Suspended-Emergency” list. Lacan was temporarily suspended for the World Cup, and the Sun subsequently received the roster flexibility to use Van Lith on a 7-day contract while she was away. By doing so, the games Van Lith played during that period did not count toward the games available to her under her developmental contract.

As it appears, that upgrade might also have provided a bit of financial benefit for Van Lith. Under a developmental player contract, a player’s compensation is structured differently from that of a standard rostered player. By upgrading Van Lith to a 7-day contract, however, she moved onto the standard contract structure for that period rather than remaining on her developmental deal. 

Right now, Hailey Van Lith has five games remaining that she is legally allowed to play on her developmental contract with the Connecticut Sun. Since there are four games left for the Connecticut Sun to play this season, as they are already out of the playoffs, she’ll be available for every one of the remaining games. Hopefully, she’ll do well enough to finally earn a permanent spot on the roster or attract other WNBA teams that will be willing to give her an opportunity ahead of next season, rather than being waived again.

Hailey Van Lith’s Rollercoaster WNBA Season

Hailey Van Lith’s journey in the WNBA this season has been an absolute roster rollercoaster. She was first waived by the Chicago Sky right before the regular season started in May, despite having such a promising preseason, scoring 20 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance in her first preseason game against the Phoenix Mercury.

Just two days after the Sky cut her, however, the Connecticut Sun claimed her off waivers, and she initially found great success in Connecticut. Across her first nine games, including three starts, she averaged 8.1 points and 2.2 assists in roughly 17.6 minutes per game. Still, the Sun officially waived her again. This was, however, purely a numbers game to clear an active roster spot for French guard Leila Lacan, who had finished her overseas club season.

But regardless, Hailey Van Lith then chose to remain with the Sun, clearing waivers and signing a developmental player contract. And over the summer months, she filled a deep reserve role, stepping up as needed when frontcourt injuries to teammates opened up localised backcourt minutes.

The latest changes in her roster status came with Leila Lacan temporarily leaving the Sun to join the French National Team for FIBA World Cup preparations. And now, with Lacan back from World Cup duty, Van Lith is back on her developmental contract with the Connecticut Sun.

According to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Hailey Van Lith felt staying in Connecticut was the best fit for her immediate development and long-term goals. Hopefully, she eventually gets the opportunity to stay beyond this developmental contract and this season.