Gabby Williams wanted out of Chicago in April
“I was told that she would never play for Chicago again,” Sky coach and GM James Wade said.
Days before Sky coach and general manager James Wade had to trim his roster down to 11 players ahead of the 2021 WNBA season he put Gabby Williams on the full-season suspended list.
Williams was moved out of Chicago three days later in a trade that sent her to Los Angeles in exchange for rookie Stephanie Watts and the rights to Leonie Fiebich. Once the move was finalized, Wade opened up that it was a trade Williams had requested in April.
“I was told that she would never play for Chicago again,” Wade said.
Wade said it was communicated with Williams’ team that he would be placing her on the full-season suspended list if she was unable to begin the season with the Sky.
The Sky will start the season with nine players with rookie Shyla Heal under COVID-19 protocol and Azurá Stevens playing on a minutes restriction. After the Sky’s season opener against the Washington Mystics on Saturday, the team will lose Stefanie Dolson who will be playing on Team USA’s 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Team.
Team USA opens pool play against Indonesia on May 27 and close it out on May 29 against Germany and Uruguay. Dolson isn’t expected to return to the Sky until the middle of June at which point Astou Ndour will leave to represent Spain in EuroBasket.
Wade said he requested that Williams return to the Sky in a similar capacity that Ndour was. He wanted her to participate in training camp and leave in June to compete with the French National Team in EuroBasket.
“She didn’t want to do that,” Wade said.
The Sparks had an opportunity to trade for Williams before she was suspended.
Ultimately, Wade said he made the decision to suspend her because he couldn’t afford to be down another player but would continue to pursue trade options. After Williams’ suspension, the Sparks and the Sky were able to agree on a trade.
Wade said, in the end, he thought Williams wanted a bigger role and that wasn’t going to be the case with the Sky. He said there’s no doubt Williams will be a starter in the WNBA.
“To be on a championship team players 1-11 are important,” Wade said. “Sometimes it’s hard to please players 8 and 9.”
Multiple requests for comment to Williams’ agent went unanswered.