James Wade's surprise decision to leave Sky for Raptors shows why teams should not let coaches also be GMs

Wade, who led the Sky to its first title in franchise history in 2021, stepped down Saturday to become an assistant with the Raptors

Chicago Sky general manager and head coach James Wade has resigned from both roles in order to take a job as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors, the team announced on Saturday. Emre Vatansever will replace Wade as interim GM and head coach effective immediately.  

"We are thrilled that James can fulfill a lifelong dream to join the NBA, and we send him our warmest congratulations and best wishes," Sky Principal Owner Michael Alter said in a press release. "We thank James for establishing a winning, team-oriented culture in Chicago and leading the Sky to our first ever WNBA Championship in 2021."

Wade joined the Sky in 2019 and oversaw the most successful era in the franchise's history. In his first season, the team won 20 games, snapped a two-year playoff drought and he was named Coach of the Year. A few years later, he signed Candace Parker in free agency and coached the team to its first ever title in 2021. Last season, the Sky won a franchise-record 26 games and finished in a tie for the best record in the league. All told the Sky went 81-59, made four consecutive playoff appearances and won a title in four-plus seasons under Wade. 

But for all of his success, the nature of his departure will raise more than a few questions. 

After a disappointing playoff exit in the semifinals last season, the core of the Sky's title team departed. Out went two-time MVP Candace Parker, franchise legends Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley and key veterans Emma Meesseman and Azura Stevens. With the team gutted of talent, a rebuild seemed like the logical next step, especially with extremely talented draft classes on the horizon in 2024 and 2025.  

Wade, however, was not interested in that path. He wanted to compete for a playoff spot and made a number of shortsighted moves in the offseason. Most notably, he traded two first round picks (2023 and 2024) and a first-round pick swap (2025) to Dallas, the rights to Leonie Fiebich and a 2024 second-round pick to New York, and a 2024 third-round pick and 2025 second-round pick to Phoenix in a massive four-team deal that brought back Marina Mabrey and a 2024 second-round pick from Phoenix. 

Mabrey is a very solid player, and one of the more underrated offensive talents in the league, but if you're going to gut your team's draft capital you have to do so for a true superstar, not a sub-All-Star. 

In addition, Wade made a number of other win-now signings, bringing in Courtney Williams, Elizabeth Williams and Isabelle Harrison. Predictably, taking that path has not worked out for the Sky, who sit in sixth place at 7-9. Injuries have not helped, but even in a best-case scenario they would be perhaps a few games over .500 and nowhere near contention. 

Now, Wade has decided to abandon ship. While you can't fault him for taking a dream opportunity, you certainly can fault him for his imprudent team-building decisions that have left the Sky stranded without much hope for the present or future. This is exhibit A for why teams should not allow coaches to also be GMs.