Michael Jordan ‘s fortunes changed for the better when the Chicago Bulls traded for Scottie Pippen during the 1987 NBA Draft.
With Pippen’s arrival, the Bulls became legitimate title contenders and later a dynasty that won six NBA championships during an eight-year span. However, Olden Polynice , the man Chicago traded to acquire Scottie, boldly claimed that the team in Windy City could have won even more NBA titles if they had not traded him to Seattle.
“What people don’t realize is we were never supposed to be traded. If I had played for Chicago, we would’ve won more titles,” said Polynice in an interview with TMZ .
Bulls coveted Pippen in the 1987 NBA Draft
It was no secret that Bulls GM Jerry Krause coveted Pip heading to the 1987 NBA Draft. However, after the Seattle SuperSonics drafted Scottie 5th overall, Chicago had to manufacture a trade to get him. Chi-Town ended up trading Polynice, who was the 8th pick of that draft, along with future considerations.
Pip ended up becoming the best sidekick in NBA history and helped Jordan win two three-peats in Chicago. Meanwhile, Polynice didn’t really pan out to be the dominant big man he was supposed to be. He played 15 NBA seasons and averaged 7.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. However, O.P. claims things would have unfolded differently if the Bulls had not traded him.