As successful as the Chicago Bulls teams of the 90s were, they surely had their share of internal drama. There were significant tensions between the management—specifically general manager Jerry Krause—and the players, which hit the tipping point when Krause nearly traded away Bulls legend Scottie Pippen in 1997 for Tracy McGrady. That near-trade took McGrady by surprise, as he was still a rookie coming out of high school then.
“I thought it was crazy,” T-Mac said. “Why would they want an 18-year-old high school kid and trade him for a top 50 NBA Hall of Famer, a 5-time NBA champion at the time, Scottie Pippen?”
Obsessed with McGrady
As unpopular as Krause was with Michael Jordan, Pippen, and the Bulls locker room, his eye for talent was undeniable. His chase for European star Toni Kukoc also irked Jordan and Pippen, but Kukoc eventually became a vital piece of the Bulls’ second “three-peat.” In McGrady, Krause believed he could find the star to jumpstart a new era of Bulls basketball.
However, the trade between the Raptors and the Bulls did not materialize as it was vetoed by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. But that didn’t stop Krause from once again pursuing McGrady in 1999 when he became a free agent.
“Jerry Krause was just obsessed with me, I’ll just throw that out there. When I became a free agent in 1999-2000, Jerry Krause was at me trying to recruit me again,” said McGrady.
Hall of Fame career
Krause was eventually proven right, as McGrady went on to have a Hall of Fame career, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. He was an All-Star seven times, a two-time scoring champion, and won the 2000–2001 Most Improved Player Award. He was also named to the All-NBA team seven times.
However, to this day, it still doesn’t make any sense why Krause was so intent on trading away a Hall of Fame player like Scottie Pippen for an 18-year-old high schooler in Tracy McGrady. McGrady himself remains baffled by the trade talks as well, and he also commented:
“As an 18-year-old kid getting traded for Scottie Pippen, too much pressure. It doesn’t make sense.”
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