As top WNBA teams invest in their players, other teams are falling farther behind

In a WNBA era in which every franchise is measuring itself against the Las Vegas Aces, it seemed fitting the Chicago Sky would drop the announcement that head coach James Wade was stepping down midseason right as the Aces mounted yet another dominating victory over a top-three team on national TV.

The two most recent champions are franchises heading in different directions, a juxtaposition between immediate deep-pocketed investment and one of the many organizations too slow or unwilling to act. Las Vegas, with its shiny new practice facility, million-dollar coach and early contract extensions, is the runaway favorite for the title and would probably top the list for 2024, too. Chicago, with a mass exodus of talent, including the abrupt exit of its coach, is now in full rebuild mode without the luxury of alluring resources to draw in free agents or keep the stars it currently rosters.

It’s a signal of where the WNBA is with splits between the haves and have-nots. That battle has often taken the shape in the push for charter flights, which the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) disallows as the league views giving teams a choice as a “competitive advantage.” The two franchises voicing strong public support of charters brought in the biggest free agency names, two of whom were from Chicago. But it wasn’t just about flying. It was about putting players first and making the best efforts to just win and keep winning.

It’s there that the Aces and Sky diverge and the through lines are clear.

The Aces opened the 2023 season with their new, $40 million practice facility, complete with a film room, player lounge, weight room, family room, two courts, cryotherapy, a sauna, a nutrition bar and more. All is crafted in stunning black and gray with the Aces logo everywhere and “2022 World Champions” scripted in various locations.

The 64,000-square-foot headquarters is the first of its kind in the league’s 27-year history and comes a year after team owner Mark Davis made longtime NBA assistant Becky Hammon the highest-paid coach by a long shot at a whopping $1 million per year. The team salary cap is $1.4 million.

Kelsey Plum, who scored a team-high 25 and hit all four 3-pointers in the Aces’ 102-84 win over the Sun on Saturday, credited the facility and resources for the team being even better than last year.

“In the past, we’re moving around different places, high schools, UNLV, different places,” Plum said. “And maybe there’s a weight room there, maybe there’s not. Maybe there’s a cold tub, maybe there’s not. So now it’s all in one place and you get to really be on your P's and Q's of OK, this is what I need to recover. This is what I need to [do]. Maybe I need to do a little bit of extra cardio. But it’s all there. And I really do feel like it allowed us to kind of take a step as professionals, and you see the product on the court. I think that’s a big reason.”

She also credited their strength coach, which she said they “never had that in the past,” for helping elevate each player’s game.

“Everybody knows at this level, it’s all about the little details and the fine-tuning,” she said. “It makes the biggest difference.”

The Sky, meanwhile, practice at Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield, a 40-minute drive north from Wintrust Arena, which they share with DePaul University. The sides reportedly have a lease agreement through 2024. Players have openly disliked the situation and setup, understandable since they are professional basketball players with a large public platform practicing in a public gym.

In May, the Chicago Sun-Times reported the Sky had a list of potential locations for their own facility that would be closer to the arena, but were not “far enough along where we’re about to put a shovel in the ground,” Sky CEO/President Adam Fox said. That same article detailed Wade spending time in the offseason visiting NBA facilities to speak with executives on what’s essential for a facility project.

The Sky will move along without him after he resigned from his positions as general manager and head coach to take a job as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors. His final game was an 86-78 win against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night that ended his head coaching record at 81-59. He was with Chicago since 2019 and led the Sky to their first title in franchise history in 2021, when the No. 6 seed made league history. The announcement came about 14 hours after he met with the media following the game.

It’s difficult to believe the lack of speed in keeping up with the Aces — who signed Sky free agent Candace Parker, and the Liberty, which added point guard Courtney Vandersloot — didn’t have something to do with the sudden move. Parker, a Chicago native, made waves in the offseason when she said she had never in her 15-year career had her own locker. Breanna Stewart, the prized free agent who signed with the Liberty, credited that franchise’s investment in players and facilities under team owners Joseph and Clara Tsai.

The Seattle Storm, another of the “haves,” broke ground on a new practice facility in March and play in the new Climate Pledge Arena. Head coach Noelle Quinn is now the second-longest tenured coach after moving into the position in June 2021. The Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve, hired in 2009, is the longest tenured and also serves as president of basketball operations.

Wade told the Sun-Times he had never strongly considered coaching in the NBA until the opportunity arose and did not specify how such an offer came about. Nothing was mentioned about resources, except a reference to salary.

“It wasn’t about money,” Wade said, via the Sun-Times. “It was an opportunity to coach on a level where I can further myself as a coach. At the same time, I can still be an advocate for the women’s game.”

What he leaves behind is a franchise once on the cusp of so much potential and now hoping to avoid the lottery since it would only help the competition more. After losing four of its starters (Allie Quigley and Emma Meesseman opted not to play in 2023), Wade looked to add talent around Kahleah Copper. He acquired shooter Marina Mabrey in a four-team trade, but gave away first-round picks in the next two drafts to do it. The talent coming out of the collegiate game in the next couple of years is immense and possibly franchise-altering.

Copper, the face of the franchise and a player Wade has called his vocal leader multiple times, spoke of the importance of “keep[ing] up with the Joneses” in May.

“We’ve gotten so relaxed in just settling for whatever it is we have, but we should demand and want more,” Copper said. “This organization is so great that a facility just for us is a game changer.”

It was more somber Sunday. The Sun-Times reported players were happy for Wade and asked Copper if there were any hard feelings about the exit.

“What are hard feelings?” Copper responded to the Sun-Times. “What feelings, what are feelings?”

There is at least one feeling that’s clear. The divide will keep growing until franchises like the Sky produce investment, resources and commitment on the level of the Aces.