The Toronto Raptors continue revamping their coaching staff amid a transformational offseason.
Three weeks after replacing Nick Nurse with Darko Rajakovic as head coach and less than 24 hours after watching franchise stalwart Fred VanVleet sign elsewhere in free agency, the Raptors have added Chicago Sky head coach and general manager James Wade as an assistant, the Sky announced in a press release on Saturday.
Wade was named Chicago's coach and general manager in November 2018 after spending the previous two seasons an assistant with the Minnesota Lynx. He quickly became one of the WNBA's most successful coaches, winning Coach of the Year during his debut campaign with the Sky and leading them to an underdog championship run in 2021.
Article Continues BelowEmre Vatansever, Wade's top assistant in Chicago, has been named the team's interim head coach and general manager, effective immediately. The Sky are 7-9 this season, coming off two straight wins over the Los Angeles Sparks.
After retiring following a 12-year playing career overseas, Wade got his start as a coach with the San Antonio Spurs, serving as an assistant under Gregg Popovich from 2012 to 2016. He returns to the NBA in a much less stable situation, the Raptors coming off a disappointing 2022-23 season and reeling from VanVleet's decision to accept the Houston Rockets' offer of a fully guaranteed three-year, max contract.
Rajakovic, long among basketball's most respected assistants, has a tough task ahead of him next season with the rebuilt Raptors, even if team president Masai Ujiri continues resisting the urge to initiate a full-scale rebuild by trading Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby. Regardless, Wade's varied coaching experience and success in the WNBA should certainly help smooth Rajakovic's transition to the Raptors' head job.